Experimenting with smaller canvases
Impulsively, or lets say “creatively” 😊 — I decided to start 2 smaller-than-I’d-been-working on paintings, 2 : 8x10s on canvas. I had no plan, other than trying out two differing approaches to begin with….

Dreams of the Sea I began (for the 1st time) with an inlay of gloss medium laid on “relatively thick” to see how the laid, or I should say, my application of paint would feel and eventually turn out. The soft gel gloss, I think, wasn’t thick enough to let the paint generate the glaze looks I wanted. I could’ve reapplied more, but decided to just go with it & see what would happen 😊

A New Moon I began more in line with much of my recent work, with a thick inlay of light molding paste, modeled in a 3 piece could-be-anything structure, so it lent itself pretty easily into a landscape.

Assumptions
Starting out, I was worried – after working on larger pieces for the last few months – I’d feel to constricted by the 8×10 size and not get anything done.

Then I was rushing (eager) to get started I didn’t think out where to leave space where I could sign my work.

Immediately I thought, heck, I’ll be done in a few hours!

Well, all 3 were wrong, or mistakes, lol!

Lessons learned (-)
I very quickly re-adapted to working a smaller size (8×10), and found that, despite the smaller than 16x20s to 18x24s & 22×28, plus a gallery wrap 12×24 I’ve been working recently that –

• I ended up spending almost as much time, 2+ days, on the smaller pieces as on one just a bit bigger (see sizes above)
• I tended to put as much detail, and work the color nuances of those details, nearly as much as with similar larger features in the larger works
• With my abstract, I shoulda had a larger focus point vs something that could spread out over a larger canvas more clearly visibily
• I definitely paid for not allowing a space (or pre-carving my name into the gel/paste, like I often do with larger work) for my signature, and had already balanced out both images where I had no good spot to use without disrupting the work; had to work my name onto the canvas, then re-balance that part of the painting with the rest of the piece

Lessons learned (+)

• Small works can still be quite fun
• Smaller canvases (or paper) are still a good way to experiment beyond the usual
• A small image can still pack a wallop is worked right
• A lot less paint etc is needed, lol!
• Less $ to frame

Looking ahead
Meanwhile, I still have my focus on finding my way into more and more larger (than 8×10) work.

Once I have these 2 new pieces on Fine Art America I’ll post again on them.

Right now I’m considering them finished, with Dreams of the Sea “possibly” still getting a bit more done on it. I’ll have to see how the surface & overall impact appear to me the next few day 😊

My finishing-up evaluation of this experiment –
Oh, and though I think the abstract is more “fun” than my landscape, I do think, in the final result of each piece, the impressionist landscape is “ahead” of the abstract in terms of finish and overall look. Not too surprising since I spent the 2000s doing all impressionist pieces, and it’d been since the 1980s since my purely abstract days!

My larger newer abstract work though is, I think, beginning to catch up in quality 🤞🙏 ☺️

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Creativity is a path with lots of side paths, but they do eventually I believe, either merge back to, or become the main path! 💕

Thanks so much everyone!

Adan

ps – I chose another new painting (Dec 2021), Peace, seen below, for my related-Twitter-pic image because it seems a nice blend ‘tween impressionist & abstract 😊

my blog post,
December 04, 2021 – Delivering New Art to the Old Bakery and Emporium (across from the State Capital) Austin, Texas – Peace, a New Holiday Painting https://t.co/epxx26CTkk via @FelipeAdanLerma pic.twitter.com/haety2njy9

— Felipe Adan Lerma (@FelipeAdanLerma) December 5, 2021

Direct link to the blog post for my painting, Peace, above is –
https://felipeadanlerma.com/2021/12/04/december-04-2021-delivering-new-art-to-the-old-bakery-and-emporium-across-from-the-state-capital-austin-texas-peace-a-new-holiday-painting/

My Related Blog Posts

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