Throw Away Canvas

My throw away canvas... 

is what my friend Susie calls a Wing•man!

Let me explain...

I've stared hanging a fresh canvas next to the canvases I'm currently working on, and I use it to wipe the excess paint off my brush, use up my palette paints at the end of a session or sometimes to test marks before I commit to putting them into the piece I may be working on.  I don't actually throw them away (that would be crazy and wasteful), that wingman will eventually become the basis of another painting.  My art buddy Susie Zol gave me that tag name for it...it's perfect, I'll take it!

This week I started a new piece (over a very old piece) and just played, really just played.  I had all kinds of crazy marks, text and paint going on...all the while freely cleaning my brushes off on the wingman.  The actual piece I've been working on wasn't working for me, or I was overworking it.  It's taken on several variations and I finally have it at a good resting place before I continue on.

Meanwhile...

I started noticing my throw away was looking kinda cool with loose, easy brush marks...the kind of marks I wish I could make on most of my work and not be so serious in the beginning of a painting.  Anyway...I started working on the throw away canvas while I was waiting for paint to dry on my original piece...and I'm loving where it's taken me!

  

I'm letting my wingman rest a bit while I get back to the other piece and think about what I learned here...

#1 it's good to have a wingman/throw away canvas to mess around with and not care about the outcome, 

usually that freedom is where your best work happens 

#2 it's always good to have several pieces to work on at once, it keeps you from focusing on the little things and gives you somewhere else to go when you need a breather from what you're stuck on

Now...

while I finish up and work on these two, I've added another wingman to the mix....

I'm seeing a horse showing up in my next piece!

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