Palmz: Painting #2

Palmz 18"x 24"

Driving to the beach early one morning to go surfing, the sun was rising and the sky was an incredible palette of pale yellows and light blues. The scrub forest along the road obscured the view but occasionally opened up so we could see the sunrise over the ocean. One place in particular had a panoramic view of the sky that was fringed with palm trees. The silhouettes of the palm fronds against those subtle pale colors was the inspiration for Palmz.

I indulged my palm fantasy and created strange new species of palms for this piece. There are many varieties of palms in my neighborhood and I studied them a lot, but I didn't want realism, mainly because I couldn't pull it off. Underneath this mild mannered palm scene are layers of chaos, frustration and many, many smothered and smeared-in palms. I had painted palms of all sizes and shapes, color schemes and arrangements, most of which were a disaster. I painted one bad idea after another as I tried to make it look like the early morning palm-fringed sky. Each layer I covered over with new marks and tried again. This went on for about a month. I was definitely trying too hard. Still not quite getting the intuitive flow and trying to control the outcome.

One day, in a state of ease and letting go of any preconceived ideas about how this painting should turn out, I used a foam brush and happened to create what looked like cool trunks. Following the fun, I outlined those trunks with black wavy lines and things unfolded from there. Having the palm fronds attach to the tree in a natural way was a challenge and I don't think I  pulled it off. I would find and lose my flow a lot in this painting's process. I think that is pretty obvious just looking at the painting. However, there are enough cool things happening in Palmz and the eye does keep moving around the canvas so it's not a big deal.

I felt satisfied when I finished this painting. I usually hang my latest painting on my living room wall across from where I like to sit and read. So, it's only natural I stare at it a lot. Part of me is in awe that I did it at all, but the other part is picking it apart mentally re-doing all the things I don't like so much. Way too much staring. A good idea: finish a painting, let it go and move on to the next one.