Finger Painting

Sometimes it's good to revisit a painting you've done even though it's now gone on to a new home. I try to photograph or scan every painting I do before it leaves my studio. This helps me in several ways: first, it's a visual record for my files and second, it comes in very handy for remembering what pieces looked like. After you've made countless paintings over the years, you find you can't possibly recall them all with any degree of accuracy. Photographing or scanning each piece solves that problem nicely.

It was especially helpful today. I had decided to lay aside my jewelry making - temporarily- to do some painting. Specifically, I wanted to paint an ethereal landscape in the same manner as this piece. I had painted Thorny Issues, below, with my fingers only. It has been a couple of years since I had used this method. Even though you'd think any 5 year old could handle that assignment, I was feeling kind of "rusty." Sometimes it's hard for us grownups to pretend we're kids!

 Anyway, today I hauled out a good sized wood panel (I think it was 24x36"), my heavy body acrylics,and started in. Unlike Thorny Issues, this piece will be much more colorful. I got a little carried away and soon had paint practically up to my elbows. I smeared and dabbed and pulled paint using my fingers and the palms of my hands. I confess I did use a brush at one point but mostly it was using just my fingers and hands. I had almost forgotten how good it feels to squish and smush paint....practically trance-inducing. I was still in an altered state of consciousness when reality intruded and I had to stop before I could finish it.

That's the problem with having so much fun. It always has to end. But I know my half-finished painting isn't going anywhere. It will be waiting for me when I head out to the studio tomorrow. I think Carly Simon recorded a song about this once. It was called "Anticipation!!!"

Text and image ©2014 Lynn Edwards