Falling and Recovery

Color Mini 2014-016
Oil on canvas
4″ x 4″
© 2014 Marilyn Fenn

I was never satisfied with the initial version of this painting, so I worked on it a bit last night.  I decided I very much liked the sense of stacked and possibly falling boxes on the right hand side of the painting (now turned 90° counterclockwise), so I worked to carry that theme throughout.  I’m pretty happy with it now.  It reminds me of the idea of pushing oneself off-balance, and then having to catch oneself—a falling and recovery, ala Merce Cunningham.

Here was the original version, which just didn’t quite make it:

Color Mini 2014-016
Oil on canvas
4″ x 4″
© 2014 Marilyn Fenn

It Feels Great to Be Back in The Studio Again

Color Mini 2014-025 Oil on canvas 6″ x 6″ © 2014 Marilyn Fenn

It is taking me a while to get back in the groove, though. Worked on 3 paintings Monday night, with no resolution on any of them. Did this one last night, though I am considering some color changes here and there. Temporarily then, here it is.

Last Night’s Mini-Painting; Thick Paint with Palette Knife

Color Mini 2014-022
Oil on canvas
4″ x 4″
© 2014 Marilyn Fenn

Last night’s mini-painting. I’ve started most of the rest of these mini-paintings with a small composition sketch (which invariably is only a starting place and gets changed along the way), but I wiped out the sketch for this one, and just felt my way into each block of color. I reworked the initial version of this painting in thicker paint applied with a palette knife, and I like it better still.

Gotta try stuff, and I like what happened here. These tiny paintings are such a great little way to work out my ideas! I’m really looking forward to whatever will happen later when I resume working bigger again.

The Non-Conformist

Small Color Painting 2014-017
Oil on canvas
4″ x 4″
© 2014 Marilyn Fenn

Here’s last night’s little painting. This one could be called “The Non-Conformist,” as I used just 3 hues of red + white to make this, but as you can see, a little blue snuck itself into one square.

New, But Am I Done?

Small Color Painting 2014-016
Oil on canvas
4″ x 4″
© 2014 Marilyn Fenn

I don’t think so.  I made some very small changes, and I like it better now, but it still doesn’t seem quite right.

Last one for today. Four (or was it 3?) paintings today, and two new ones yesterday, plus I finished a large one that’s been in the works forever, it seems! I feel so productive, except for the fact that the last 6 canvases are so so tiny…

(this one has been changed.  See the new version here.)