Recycling Life (still life)...

While I was looking for a few canvases in my studio to throw some paint on...

I came across a brilliant idea!

RECYCLE!

Okay...not a new idea, just an idea that popped into my head.

I have lots of paintings...still life, landscapes, plein aire...tucked here and there in my studio.

I've been wanting to clear out the paintings that don't hold any emotion for me...

and I think I've come across the perfect solution.

(again...probably not a new idea, but new and exciting for me)

I'm taking my old paintings and recycling them into abstract pieces.

I love having a touch of something real in my abstracts... 

maybe I'm not quite ready to throw caution to the wind and 

start brushing colors and shapes onto a canvas.

I like something recognizable in there...so this is my starting point.

I loved painting the pears in this painting,  so I decided to keep them and cover up the rest.

I added papers and paint to surround the pears, then outlined them

with water soluable crayons in black to give them definition.

I really love and enjoyed painting this...

it also won the Jurors Award in the current 

 "Papered"

exhibit at 

Ashton Gallery

This next piece I used as a demo to teach an oil painting class several year ago.

I loved the colors...and actually everything about this painting.

But...there comes a time to move on.

I worked on abstracting these oranges today and think I'm 95% done ...

I'll take another look in a few days and finish that 5%.

This tulip painting has meant a lot to me over the years.

I enjoyed and can remember the experience of painting it

twelve years ago.

It hung in my home for much of that time,

again...time to move forward.

I sanded it down yesterday to remove the sheen and prepare it to paint.

Then a good coat of clear gesso to keep the under colors 

and some of the flowers and lemons to peek through on the new painting.

This is an idea I mocked up to see where I want to take it.

It's also a 48in x 24in canvas, so I wanted to have an idea in my head before I jump in.

It's a start...and I have lots more to recycle!

I hope you give it a try and see what pieces of art you can 

recyle and give new life to.

ENJOY