Unexpected Experiment
Yesterday, I contemplated the challenge of what to do in order to be able to paint after a full day of work. Today, I just fell asleep after I returned home and ate. I usually fight sleep at that time because I don’t want to end up too awake when it’s finally time to really go to sleep, but I guess I was too tired.
While I hope it doesn’t harm my night sleep, it did give me the energy to draw one more canvas tonight. The canvas took me about 2 hours. If I don’t end up awake all night, this might be a strategy to be able to work a few hours on paintings some nights.
The original drawing was from 2023 in the same book I’m using to draw most days. The drawing on the canvas was transferred in yellow transfer paper, then I drew over it with pencil and then drew with brushes with oil paint. I only did some parts because there are some areas that I will outline with the color of the shape. To paint the halo, I use white and yellow, and keep it very bright and clean. I usually erase the pencil marks if I put them there by mistake like I did tonight. Pencil dirties the white and yellow paint, or comes through the transparency of the oil paint. The bottom of the canvas will be flowers that I like to add to my paintings of Mary Magdalene. They are some of my favorite flowers: miramelindas, anthurium, sunflower, rose and hibiscus.
Through the years, I have created my own symbols and attibutes for the Magdalene, a colorful creative language that speaks about a connection to nature and to the human heart. My Magdalenes are (in my mind) not so different from my other paintings, they do have a lot more red! I try to simplify that I have learned by studying traditional paintings and icons, and create my own language to express my ideas about Mary Magdalene.
I am looking forward to completing this series of paintings and having them ready for The Mary Magdalene Celebration in July. And to finding out whether I will sleep well tonight if my accidental experiment with an unintended siesta goes well!
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