Pigment of my imagination

I discovered painting, literally, by accident. I awoke one morning with my right arm and shoulder seized up into a tight painful knot and a visit to the emergency clinic later, was diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff. In addition to the groovy painkillers I was outfitted with a very unfashionable navy blue sling which looped around my neck and constricted my arm tightly to my chest. The doctor's orders: "Absolutely no sculpting for a minimum of six weeks." Bummer.

I seem to remember that I was pretty deep into sculpting Green Cheese in that period and having quite a good time doing so. Sculpting was all I really knew and now I had to take a break? I had never really unplugged before and felt a claustrophobic panic set in. I still sat at my sculpture bench every night out of sheer habit but now only grinding my teeth in frustration out of the physical restrictions placed upon me instead of actually getting my work done. Boredom and I have never been very good friends.

I think it took me three days. Three days to spy the piece of cabinet grade plywood laying in the corner of my shop. About three minutes to fetch it and begin to imagine its possibilities. About three seconds to remember the bag of oil paints I had purchased on a whim fifteen years before. Grinning like an idiot, I was off, holding a paintbrush for the first time in my life and exploring this strange new world.

It's funny now, looking back. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing (I've never had any sort of formal art training in my life) and fell immediately in love with the discovery of this new 2D world. For example, notice the bubble in the bottom right hand corner. Opaque, white, boring. By the time I had painted the third or fourth I had discovered linseed oil and the ability to make oil washes (someone recently told me they are called "glazes") and they grew more and more transparent as I progressed.

Honestly, I still know next to nothing about the technical side of painting. In my learning curve, I actually just destroyed a new canvas tonight. I chalk it up to exploration. I certainly have the passion. I occasionally have the vision. Now I just need more practice.