the routine

the routine, oil on canvas, 24" x 20"

The following painting was a real challenge. Most paintings that I make go through transitions, ebbing and flowing throughout the process. This one in particular seemed elusive and constantly throwing me unexpected curves. In the end I am happy with it. I am still determined to get a painting of Marc with a branch complete at some point, but it was clearly not going to happen on that canvas. I am a firm believer that I just need to show up, and the paintings will eventually take care of themselves. The physical texture of the paint and the marks on the painting surface tell me what to do, or quite frequently what I am not capable of doing. Sometimes surprising things can happen, especially when this conversation is preformed on a regular basis. The Routine, the title for this painting, is as much about my niece preforming a horse riding exercise as it is about the act of painting itself. I hope you enjoy a peek into what was a very frustrating process.

the end