Plan your Work and Work Your Plan...

Have you ever heard the old adage attributed to SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE "plan your work and work your plan"? Well why shouldn't it be applied to art? I am trying to make this a part of every day and every painting so that I can free up my precious painting time... for being creative and not being frustrated!

So here is the goal of my PLANNING as I approach each painting:

1. LOOK and MOVE around until I find the best composition that really interests me - it is all about shapes of value supporting MY MOOD.

2. Draw a thumbnail in 2-3 values to GET TO KNOW my subject. Note Value and Color Relationships and Direction of Light.

2. Really looking during the drawing of the thumbnail to DISCOVER EDGE, VALUE, LINE and SHAPE opportunities for minimizing (by linking or joining shapes) or accentuating (by adding contrasting) to effect the MOOD I want in the SIMPLEST ABSTRACT TERMS.

Now work the plan in the painting and have FUN!