A Self-Imposed Deadline

     Can I finish five new figure paintings - two of them 4x8' - in less than a month? I think so. They may be 'surface-dry' when hung for the 5/19 opening, but not too gooey. I used to work well with deadlines. Hopefully that's still the case.
     About a month ago I pulled out a couple of sheets of masonite and immediately sketched out figures. Around the same time, it became apparent that my intended STEAMboat Studio student art show at MVCAC wasn't going to pan out. So instead of releasing the venue, I figured I'd put some of my stuff up on the walls and see what happens. The Boys, a 7'x4'-ish painting of Thai Buddhist Monks, had been collecting dust for the past year, and with these new paintings, ...well, there you have it.  A show is born!
     Now the race is on to get them done. One thought is that this self-imposed deadline will help deter me from becoming too obsessed with perfection and outcomes and it will force me to simply bust out the Diet Coke, crank up the tunes and sling paint.
     Portrait of the Artist is currently on its face on the floor while support braces are being glued in place. The large untitled beach scene is stewing for the moment. In addition to the circular The Fates, I have a smaller circular panel and an oval panel in the works. I'm still contemplating the few faces seen in these works. There's a reason for this that I haven't yet put my finger on.
​     More will be revealed.

Portrait of the Artist as an Old Lady, 4'w x 8'h (painting this one while it's on the floor - too tall for my studio to work on it upright)

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Untitled, 8'w x 4'h. Working on two studies for this painting - one of the women and boy in the water and another of the trio on the left.

The Fates; Study for Untitled (working title), 36" diameter