Un-box My Heart

I was excited to get this news and to be a part of a great tradition.  Now comes the fun part of translating my idea to the heart shape!

Painting Begins

The first of many layers of acrylic paint.

This project was challenging for me. First, the heart is made out of plaster and I was required to use acrylic paint. It’s been a long time since I painted with acrylic. Believe it or not I still have a stash of acrylics from when I was in grad school in NYC in the mid 1990s! Holy cow!  The second big challenge was painting on the heart shape. I couldn’t quite figure out if it was best to have it on a stand to rotate or laying it flat on the table and even in my lap to paint.  I did all of the above.

My ipad came in handy for this project. I could look at my proposal image to help me keep track of my progress so I didn’t get off track.   My inspiration was from a painting I created from a photo I took while driving on the Bay Bridge at twilight.  Sometimes I like to hold up my camera and take random shots and then when I get back in my studio I go through the photos to see what might work for a painting. It’s fun to see what I capture and if I can remember the scene.