Today I added another layer to my painting for the Sue Ryder exhibition. The underpainting was mostly plain grey and a little rough so I added a layer of very very thin opaque paint which improved the quality enormously.
I also stained and varnished four frames. I've said before that every painter should make frames. It teaches the importance of patience and care for materials. Colour staining provides useful knowledge, and framing generally is part of the creative process. Two frames, while fitting the panel to millimetre perfection, encroached on the artwork too much so will be used for alternative pictures. I hand sawed and primed a small panel just for one of the frames and will plan a picture tonight.
While painting I listened to "Queen 2", perhaps the best Queen album. The song "The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke" is about a painting, and I read about that masterpiece and its brilliant but mad creator. I've drawn up a painting idea all about it which I'd love to paint on a giant canvas.
