Celebration

Once again I was invited to create a mixed media piece before an audience as the evening unfolded towards a live auction of the artwork under way. I had less time on this occasion so I showed up early, set up the table and got started practically before people began to arrive. The preparation had begun long before then of course. The canvas already had six or seven layers of paint and a transfer on it. The transfer usually takes overnight to dry and then around an hour to remove the residue paper. I had also tried to prepare torn pieces of tissue paper so that all I had to do was glue them on… That did not work. I got to the point (about three pieces later) where I needed to paste something down in order to see what shape the next morsel would take. So, taking a watercolour pencil I drew in the approximate shapes and shaded in the darker ones. I brought two sets of tissue paper, one dark and another not so dark. That would have to do. Having the gel, paint brushes, prepared paint for layering, pure pigments, pens, bibles and an already written poem helped complete the task on time. I even had time to eat! The supper was delicious. The live auction was a great success as there was a beautiful quilt which sold for $600 if my memory is correct and my painting  went for $550. Double from last year. Impressive. All in all, a great success. And there is a promise of red wine when I deliver the varnished, wired version to the new owners… Live is good!