April 29, 2022 – 3rd Lay-in for New #AcrylicDiptych, Formerly Titled “Seeing” and Now Titled “Eyes of the Universe”

Squeezing in snippets of painting time between morning full of chores and an afternoon filled with fitness classes.

Good thing we’re retired, lol!

Initially, after my 1st lay-in, I tried rebalancing the left and right sides panels. I call them panels, but they’re not canvas on flat panels, but rather stretched canvas on wood stretchers 😊

I did, with the 2nd inlay, manage to open up the area around the left “eye” and thus gave the blue waves and white markings within it space for what could be seen as a figure with a fishing rod type object pointing us toward it’s right side companion, which has needed very little work.

Most, but not all the adjustments, I felt, were needed on the left side.

Then today, between fun chores and fun exercises via SilverSneakers’ live classes via Zoom, and between sneezing fits in the off-the-chart pollen ( mostly oak right now ) here in Austin, I did regain and modulate some of the dark density on the bottom right corner of that same frisky left panel —

I also, experimenting almost daintily, timidly, added black with a brush ( vs my palette knife work overall on the surface of both panels ) along the left panel’s left side. The left side of that canvas isn’t fully painted in with black yet, but the little test run doing that along the rim of the left panel’s left side edge already seems to “hold” the image better overall. I did a bit of the same to the right side panel’s left side edge with much the same effect. So once the painting is truly done, I’ll be fully painting all 4 sides of each panel that way.

I do think I’m getting close to being done, but sometimes, once a work is mostly done, I suddenly see something else “screaming” to be altered. Yeah. Wouldn’t have it any other way ‘cept for those rare one-pass and done gems! ☺️

Here’s one last comparison look for today, this one ‘tween the 1st in-lay ( left ) and the most recent, 3rd in-lay (right ) —

The improvement over the 3 in-lays so far can be seen more easily this way —

— more interest in the dark background of the left panel, plus more clarity of the blue and red areas of same. Plus that nice arching line from the bottom right of the left panel into the bottom left of the right panel, ie, much better continuity between the left and right sides now – finally!

I really didn’t think I’d get even this much improvement after my 1st lay-in, and that’s not usually the case, not how I usually feel or view a work I’ve begun.

I’ve a strong conviction within myself I’ll find a continuing and final solution to make the painting to my liking. Panel work though, as I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, presents not just a larger challenge surface-wise to cover, but also the challenge of having, 1) a unified 2 panel image that “seems” like one image, plus, 2) two panels that mesh and “work” with each other like in a partner dance, and, finally, 3) two distinct panels that literally could stand on their own, yet still gain much from being together.

Like a good couple 💕

Those of us fortunate enough to have or be experiencing this synergy know what I mean ☺️

And maybe that’s one of those unintended messages about polyptychs, whether diptychs or larger. We are each unique. Individual. Yet also very much part of a larger fabric ❤️

Stay well everyone! 😊

Adan

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ps – I think of the artists I’ve reviewed or reblogged so far on my site, Joan Mitchell’s work is the one to see if you’re interested in polyptychs; hopefully soon I’ll have another post about her work, a reblog, concentrating on her work with multi-panel paintings

See & Buy My Art 👩‍🎨 🎨 ❤️
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Thanks again, everyone! 😊

Adan

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