Bathers

I stopped myself. Already, I was starting to write in my head what I was going to say about this painting before I'd finished it.

This was the first day I'd taken a whole day to paint, part of the morning and most of the afternoon, anyway. It meant I felt less stressed, could hang the washing up, walk away from it, when I wasn't sure, stand back, and take a little time.

I suppose it's leading me towards not aiming to finish a painting in one sitting..? That I mostly paint on paper, it doesn't feel right to carry working on it later. I wanted to reflect the sunlight lighting up the tree trunks, and I haven't quite managed it. I noticed the sunlight shining through it on my window ledge. It lit up those parts of the green and lemon yellow grounding still showing. What a lovely surprise! It made me wonder, if metallic paint might work better..?

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Subsequently, thinking about what had happened, I realised I'd had a tiny insight into the magnificence of painting. How the painter spends time, considering the relationships between everything from the biggest skies to the bark of a tree and how to paint it. All I can say is that, alongside the act of painting, you feel time slowing and use your eyes (and other senses?) to connect on the deepest level with your subject.

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What am I going to paint next week? No idea! I hope I find something.