Help! My Painting Has Chicken Pox!

'One Peaceful Morning'               8x12              pastel               ©Karen Margulis
available $225

My painting had chicken pox. But I found a cure. It didn't last long. Let me explain! I should have been cleaning. (I'll start tomorrow) but a painting I had started yesterday was calling to me. I am very much into painting from my Norway photos these days. I started a fjord painting by doing an alcohol wash with some Jack Richeson handrolled underpainting pastel blocks.I used rubbing alcohol to liquify them. I will review these soon! Here is the underpainting.

8x12 on gray sanded paper

I gave myself permission to paint rather than clean and happily worked on the fjord painting. Let me set the scene. I was one of the first off the cruise ship and I made my way to the shoreline where I had spied a  beach from the ship. It was perfect timing. The sun had yet to make itself known to us at the head of the fjord. It was cold but I was bundled up so it was bearable. The beach was silent.  I watched as the sun rose behind me slowly illuminating the distant mountains. It creeped into the fjord slowly and soon everything was kissed with light and warmth. It was truly magical.

On the walk back from the beach I was greeted with so much paintable scenery. If course I had to get some photos of the lingering wildflowers. I crouched down low to take a few photos.  This is what I saw....an abundance of yellow flowers blowing in the breeze.

I painted what I remembered but studying the painting I realized that the floral abundance wasn't working. It looked like my painting had chicken pox! There were too many little spots of yellow and they were all over. I didn't know where to look. It was just too busy and overwhelming.

The paining after my first 'finish'

So I took out my old paint brush and began brushing out most of the flowers. Never be afraid to brush areas out. Sometimes it is not what you add but what you take away that improves a painting.
I also gave the grassy area a spray of workable fixative so I could redo the area. That was better but when I took the photo of the finished painting and loaded it onto my blog, it still was bothering me. Now I didn't have enough flowers!

The painting after the second 'finish'

So I added a few more yellow flowers and some more grass blades this time being more careful about their placement. I cured the chicken pox and now I am happier.  Remember if you have a painting with too many randomly placed flowers you will have a case of the chicken pox. A simple brushing with a stiff paintbrush is the cure!

The final finish!