The Stone Wasp underpainting took longer than expected and so my schedule was set back by one day. It's a tiny picture but has already taken five full days, including the preparation work, and completion of a earlier test version. No commercial artist could afford to invest such a time on a tiny panel painting like this. Today I've completed the glazing to Sun on a Chain, a beautiful painting about a heavy heart and passion restrained.
The entry form for the Stoke Open have arrived and I'm sure to try something for this juried exhibition. With luck my recent sunset will be dry enough but I'm not sure. It's unfortunate that the Open was announced just three weeks before the submission date, hardly enough time to dry a wet oil painting, never mind paint one.
Next up for me; The underpainting to three graves which is my last big and spectacular one of the year. After that I must glaze the one for Sue Ryder, and get to work on others in time for Keele. No matter how fast I work, things are always just ready in time. Perhaps I'm fortunate though. Most oil painters who paint in layers work hard to produce ten paintings a year and I'm doing nearly fifty in just the summer months.
