Jar of Shells
I think after you reach a certain point as an artist, one of the worst sins in painting is to be boring. That’s why I decided to take full artistic license with this and to repaint the background. The last version was too static and I wanted to evoke “beachiness”. St. Louis, like much of the rest of the country, is seeing a very long, hot Summer and the ocean is not right around the corner. To accomplish this repaint, I decided to continue my experimentation with a painting knife to create more texture and to add more paint to the surface. I feel like I need a towel, some sunscreen and a good book when looking at the result. If you’re in a rut with your painting, I highly recommend this technique. You might feel like you’re out of control, at first but don’t let that stop you! It’s all about learning to express yourself and sharing that expression with the people around you.
