Inlet, Old Lyme
By Carrie Jacobson
I’ve been itching to get to this spot, a place I love to paint, and I finally made it out there yesterday, and did it feel great!
I’ve often painted this place before, and have usually used a panoramic-type of canvas in a one by three ratio – 8×24, 10×30, etc. This time I tried including more sky, and it gives a totally different feel to the scene.
I painted fast, I tried to paint with sure strokes, I tried to make the canvas feel as open and sun-soaked and brilliant as the day. It was what my soul needed.
***
I have encountered an absolutely great idea, and am about to embark on it, and would love input from you all. I saw a story about a guy who is planning on painting 100 10-inch by 10-inch paintings, and selling them each for $100 – and the notion just captivated me.
I can’t completely explain my fascination with this idea, but the minute I heard about it, I knew I had to do it.
I spoke with a friend who runs a gallery nearby about the idea, and he pushed me to take it a step further. Maybe do 100 paintings as linear pieces, a road, a beach, a journey. Maybe get 100 dog photographs and use a mosaic program to arrange them so that when they are all together, they make an image of a big dog – or a cat. Maybe use one large palette knife only, on all the pieces, or limit myself to one or two colors.
At any rate, I have a lot of ideas going around in my head – and I’d love to hear from any of you, if you all have ideas, about subjects or approaches or limits – or any other part of it. I think this is such a fun project!
***
Start planning now, why don’t you, to go to the Paradise City show in Northampton, MA, over Columbus Day weekend!
It’s not bad drive from Orange County, and should be spectacularly autumnally beautiful in four weeks!
***
Next weekend, I am planning on visiting to paint with Wallkill River School painters – and others – at the Pine Island Farmer’s Market. We will be making and donating paintings for an auction to benefit Black Dirt farmers, whose crops were damaged or destroyed by Tropical Storm Irene. The public is welcome to come and watch, and encouraged to participate in the silent auction, that runs through Oct. 8. Artists are donating the paintings in full. The market is located at Pine Island Park, Kay Road in Pine Island.