Art Prize Here I Come!

After many many sketches and plans, and even buying materials for one such idea, I have settled my brain on something very different than my original plans.  To say simply I have brought or am bringing one of my beautiful trees to life.   This is quite a process and like Frankenstine before me, I have made some mistakes, or given myself new problems to creatively solve.  As I am want to do, I have risen to the occasion.  Bring it on I say, Bring it on.   I started with a canvas.  It is 36 X 48 inches, and I am working in landscape.  This idea was only partially formed when I started so my only thought at first was I want a yellow sky.  So I in a moment of texture dreaming wanted to use flat latex paint to achieve a soft velvet look to the sky...since I am attempting to bring this tree off the canvas, the feel of the whole painting should be considered.  So off I go to the first impulse and after painting two solid coats start getting excited about the next step which is my drops.  From way up on my ladder it's the first drop of acrylic wash, thicker than wash but close enough for explanation.  OK up on a ladder with apparatus and paint in hand, feeling very happy to be at this point.   I proceed to make a small test drop and to my astonishment the paint doesn't stick.  The Paint Does Not Stick!  So a small rant later, I am back in action,  paint brush in hand, I gesso the canvas, and as I do this I get another idea.  I need to build some of the tree up on the canvas to help it grow better when I get to the top.  So I add texture as many many coats of gesso are applied and again I am ready to paint.

  I get out my acrylic wash again, and this time just a paintbrush to paint the sky yellow.  What do I get... crawly streaks.  Crawly Streaks!!!  I am not joking or exaggerating when I tell you I have been known to throw a fit every once in a while.  This was one such moment.  I fumed and fussed and let it dry and applied more coats, and still it crawls and barely sticks to the layer before it.  ARRRRGGGG!!!  Yes, the exclamation of frustration will be heard again in this house I tell you.   Having arrived at this improbable of situations, I decide that a drastic change is needed!  So as of now I am working on a large batik for the bottom portion of the painting.  I will then sew this to the freaking canvas, and from there the world is my oyster....I hope!  This is just a small step in a much larger design with many parts that all need to be individually constructed, so stay tuned.  This tree is only going up.