Friday, August 2, 2013

A Gift For Mother (Not For Sale)



24" x 36" oil on stretched canvas


My mother had purchased a painting for her dining room that always bothered me.  It had sort of a Native American theme and a large part of the painting was the bottom of a stool.  A stool?  Really?  The technique was realistic so there was no mistaking what that thing was that took up half the painting.  Was the artist trying to be clever about something?  Was I just missing the point?  I didn't understand how all the objects fit together and Mom couldn't explain it she "Just liked it okay and needed something to fit in the space..."  I guess I complained a lot about that painting because she asked if I could paint over it and give her something better.

I should have started from scratch because the painting was done in thick impasto and I could tell it had been taken off the original stretcher (and probably shipped), then re-stretched onto a really cheapo stretcher that was not put together properly.  I reinforced the stretchers and stretched the canvas again, as carefully as possible.  Then I covered over the painting with Flexible Ground and allowed it to dry completely before priming and beginning my painting.

You can still see a hint of Ground behind the painting but I kind of like the texture of it.  Once varnished, some of the texture may disappear.



The original painting
After the Ground is applied




B&W to check values















This painting is Not For Sale.

4 comments:

  1. Your mom is going to love this painting. So pretty, Kari!

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  2. wow! i love this. and i love the idea of being able to cover over a canvas that just doesn't work.

    woot, Kari!!

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  3. Thank you, Cris! Because this was stretched canvas rather than Masonite or canvas board, I needed to use the flexible ground as opposed to just Gesso. Gesso would have covered but risked cracking later on if the painting was moved.

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