FRESH CANVAS

new oil painting under way
click to enlarge

Some paintings just give me a "rush" when I start them, and this is one of those kind of paintings. After mixing the colors on my palette, I could hardly wait to make the first stroke on that fresh, white canvas.

The painting is based on a fantastic photograph, "White Lily" by a very talented artist/photographer named Anni Jones. I first met Anni about 3 years ago when I began in the blogosphere. I am not sure how I happened upon her site, but it was definitely more than just connecting with a fellow-artist. It has also been a spiritual connection...Anni is like a sister. She is not only incredibly gifted in many areas, but Anni has a very big heart filled with generosity. Several times she has simply told me to go ahead and paint some of her wonderful photos...and so I have. 

The moment I saw "White Lily" on Anni's FB post, I loved it. I secretly thought that I would like to try to paint it because it was such a stunning photo. I commented on her post about how gorgeous the picture was, without saying anything about wanting to paint it, and when Anni responded, she said those words: "Go ahead and paint it if you want to Joanne!" That was music to my ears!

So I thank my friend Anni for the privilege of having her work to interpret on canvas. I am already excited for how the background has been laid in. I'll post more as it progresses over the next few weeks. The canvas is larger - 20" x 28" and the medium is oil. I'm afraid I have to fit in a new art student, a garden crying out for attention, exercise, a project I have on the go, eating, sleeping, etc. around painting this piece... seems my priorities have shifted a tad! ☺