What was I thinking yesterday when I wrote, regarding my new large-scale pieces, “This has been satisfying work”?!? That sounds lackluster and ambivalent. I need to recant that statement, and I would like to state… no… exclaim, “This is great! This is amazing and wonderful! I love doing this!”
You can’t see the gleam in my eyes, and therein lies the weakness in blogging to communicate these things.
Honestly, I do feel that I have found something that resonates deeply with me, and I’m thankful for that. I like the scale of these pieces, I like working in mixed-media, I like the fact that I can work at a quick pace but continue to iterate, and modify, and work over. I like the materials I’m using (thin paint, rollers, very nubby/toothy canvas). This might be the most fun I’ve had in the studio in years. Or ever.
Not to say there’s not a struggle to bring the image to fruition. These pieces have just as hard of a time being born as any piece does. I grapple with each one, painting this over, emphasizing that, removing the other thing. Eventually it starts to coalesce into something that makes sense to me.
Here’s one titled Haven, 6’x9′.
![Original artwork by Barbara Downs, Haven (I), Acrylic/Mixed-Media on Unstretched Canvas](https://barbaradowns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/201202_Haven1_white.jpg)
Haven (I), Acrylic/Mixed-Media on Unstretched Canvas (hung directly on wall with nails though grommets), 72″ x 106″, 2012
And here’s a view of the studio, with three of these pieces up. Obviously the scale is important in these pieces, so this gives a better idea of scale. That middle one is not yet finished, but you’ll be sure to see it on this blog when it is.