Scene stealers

Of course in a house of humans, cats and dogs are scene
stealers. But behind the scenes in the portraits I paint
are young models, frequently young women dressed up
in evening dresses, with their feet comfortably encased
in giant socks or running shoes. One extremely elegant
client came to my house for each session during a hot, hot
summer dressed in a see-through lace, formal, with puffy white
socks and sneakers on her feet. I've always wanted to
do a series of studio paintings. The models' comfortable
feet are the scene stealers I don't put in the scene. The
other day I did a little cartoon-like sketch of a model,
then painted it in watercolour, pastel, and acrylic.

When I think of all the things I was taught as a kid at
art school I know that I am gradually unlearning some
of the rules that towered above us like Gods of art. It
was a lot easier to ditch the writing rules taught in
university English than to break the "one medium at
a time" commandment. The rule of watercolour,
or pastel, or acrylic, or pen and ink was much harder
to defy. I have used pen and ink to draw for acrylic
paintings before, but I admit I have rarely before now
combined as many media.

Studio scene
marker, watercolour, acrylic and pastel
on watercolour paper,
7 x 9 inches

Skip Lawrence taught us in a class I attended years ago
that," it isn't the medium, it's the painting that matters.
Use whatever tools and techniques you need to to make
it work." But I resisted. I was fearful of being found out.
In this little sketch I had fun throwing everything on the tiny page.
The result is almost comical, but it makes me happy.

Have a trying-something-new-and-loving-it day.