All Wrapped Up

I've been all wrapped up in my latest painting. (and I mean this literally as well as figuratively - read on) I've had to build my own frame because I want to create a LARGE painting for the next show I'm entering :The Sidney Fine Arts Show (delivery date Sept. 12th) so that took a bit of work. I ended up recycling an old panel I created some years back to hang artwork on at events and as it's been sitting outside for a while now this meant a bit of effort to cut to size, sand down and paint. Then stretch the canvas over and prime....good workout for arms and shoulders. The new canvas is : 42" X 37" and that was a bit of a 'oops' as I forgot to allow for end attaching on the frame and inadvertently added an inch. It was meant to be 36"....ah well.
In any case, I've revisited an old pose from the 'Rita' series - "THURSDAY'S CHILD" which was the first one I ever did and I really notice the difference in drawing this time. The FACE - remember me and my 'faces'? - well, I'm greatly improved. Cool, that!
The background has been some process, mind you. I had a great photo of roses I took that I fooled with in Adobe and got one tinkered-with result that really excited me. I printed it out on rice paper - a painstakingly attention focused deal as I had to 'babysit' each sheet of paper going through the printer (rice paper is very thin and I got a lot of discards) Took some time to apply the sheets to the canvas as well and as much as I liked the finished result - somewhat 'gramma's wallpaper-ish - when I painted over the first block it all went flat. So, and you have to picture this, I had to wrestle this large canvas into the shower with me and scrub off the background. Water was going everywhere and I managed to plug up the drain pretty good so spent a few moments 'plunging'...really, it would have made a very 'instructional' video!
X-rated mind.....
Anypleasemakethevisualstopway, I am contemplating my thoughts on a new background this morning. I think I know now how to make it work by refocusing on the message I'd like to convey with this painting.
It's always a journey to create your vision.
And you thought I just sat down and out it came, huh?

The painting is : Free Wrap by the Iranian woman artist, Pooneh Jafari Nejad. and I sure hope she is able to still paint in that misogynist part of the world.