I’ve had this canvas, 30″x 40″, for several years, just sitting in a closet waiting for…well, I’m not sure what.  Last summer I had an itch to paint something on it, but never felt like I had the right thing, and perhaps that ‘ol fear of large white spaces was looming as well.  So I was determined to put something on it this summer.  I started off with a teacup and teapot, as I used to do, in big, bold shapes and colors…but it just wasn’t right, it wasn’t “me” anymore, it just wasn’t happenin’.  The thing I kept thinking was…I sure wish I could get the “sketchiness” of my sketchbook onto a large canvas…   So.  I covered over the whole thing with gesso and various colors, then went into it with some brown acrylic lines and voila!  Fun.  I really enjoyed it and I like this big thing in my dining room.

This is a sketch painting of the view up at the top of our neighborhood.  We see the backside of this villa-like home from Mr. Whicker’s field which is filled with white morning glories all summer long.  I had made several sketches of this view last summer following my morning walks.  I like that it is a place familiar to me, and the simplicity of it is just what I was looking for.

So now I have plans for more.  But with bolder lines and colors…hmmm.  Maybe something like this:

That would be way cool on a big canvas…

Now I just need the guts to do it!!:)