I've been planning paintings over the past few days and have got three or four just about ready. The last step is determining the size. Ideally I'd paint each one big, but any over 1M will exclude them from most competitions and open exhibitions. Much larger and framing is too difficult too; they wouldn't fit into a car. Then storage space. The painting time is perhaps the last concern because with a canvas texture there isn't necessarily more work involved with a large work. A large painting on panel though can take a long long time.
That said I've got so so many painting ideas noted that I really have to try and get through the good ones. I need to keep coming up with new ideas to avoid getting rusty too, yet when I look through my ideas book I see so many paintings that I think deserve making. But why? And which to choose?!
Here's a page from my book...
These ideas are more mnemonics to myself of visual ideas than actual drafts or preparitory sketches.
Some ideas that are visually spectacular, and some are simpler than others. Some are about the world or the environment. Some are about internal thoughts and feelings or human psychology. Some are about philosophical ideas, like "To Know Both Sides Of An Equation Absolutely Would Cause Logic To Fail" (below). Which ideas are best? I try to have a mix.
Then some are easier to paint than others. Some represent a realistic 3D environment. Some are definitely 2D and some less than 2D, using lines so form shapes and boundaries, or crossovers. I tend to paint the ones with a workable 3D environment, although I've painted the odd one from other categories too. "Trying to Ignite Love" is a crossover from last year. "The Uncertain Mind/Reality Gap" below is a 2D example too. The 2D ones are harder to plan and paint because of the lack of modellable imagery to copy from. There are lines and definite shapes but no mass, no shading, no solidity or colours to go in all of that "nothingness". "Love, Sex and the Vasovagal Reflex" on the ideas page above is a good example of a difficult painting to paint for reasons like that, it's a mix of 2D and 3D elements; a 2D flow that demands freedom of expression within the line but with physical forms which demand 3D technical accuracy.
For the time being I'll try for a mix, and try more of the "difficult" 2D paintings. Everything difficult is fun and everything easy is boring. I've decided to prepare five, paint them, then re-examine for a next lot of ideas. I've discovered on previous years that too much planning makes the year tedious and kills the creative factor. I think the first is going to have to be "Tiger Moving Nowhere At All" which is about the fate of this moribund species, and is for a competition.
Tomorrow though I must plan the Love Symphony performance extravaganza, and perhaps make props. Oh, in other news I can now officially say I've founded a book publishing business, Pentangel Books. We specialise in expensive highbrow art poetry books, and any other sort of book at all especially ones that will sell millions of copies. My first release will of course be, 365 Universes and be in two editions released on April 23rd.
