Going Larger

 

Bryant Wood Alley 24"x30" oil on canvas

Occasionally I will like a small painting enough to want to try a larger version of it, and I was pleased with the light/shadow effect of a recent sketch and decided to go large with it.  I can't say that I prefer one of the other: the scale and detail definitely make this one seem more like a "finished" painting, but there is also something in the energy and looseness of the original exploration that adds value to it that can't be translated when it is blown up.  A friend recently wondered if I used a graph or measuring device of some sort to transfer an image from one place to another, but in reality, I just start in with the paint, loosened with mineral spirits, and sketch in the darks first.  It's easy enough to wipe out errors and move things around at that stage.  Oddly, I can return to the exact scene that inspired me initially and I can never see it in the same way again; the emotions sparked by a scene are so dependent on the lighting, the weather, the time of day, and they constantly change.  Other areas in this park caught my attention this morning when I returned there, but this spot I couldn't even locate with exactitude.  It was a little bewildering.