The Blank Slate of a New Year
Applying Gesso to Canvas
Starting off fresh. I don’t know if you can tell or not, but I’m pretty excited here. There’s nothing like a fresh coat of gesso on a raw canvas to get you excited about all the possibilities of a new painting. Do new starts get you excited? All the potential of something new is magical.
My son wants to have some of my work. And since he lives in London, UK, it seems that the most sensible thing to do is paint on canvas, roll it up and mail it to him. Otherwise, the shipping costs can be pretty high. So, here I am, getting the canvas ready and thinking about what colors or design might work best in his new place. Will he like it? There is anxiety but also possibility.
I moved back into my studio this week, after an extended time off for the holidays and some time spent up at my cottage surrounded by snow and nature. I don’t know about you, but it takes me a while to transition from one place to another. I have to get comfortable all over again. I have to figure out where things are and get my head into the process again. So I spent a couple hours readying myself, stapling up canvas, organizing my tools and paints before I could even get going. I think I need this time for my mind to sort out where to start and to convince myself that I can do it. Every time you come to a blank slate, it’s a bit daunting. It’s like you’ve never painted before. The imposter syndrome kicks in. You have to push yourself past the insecurities and just get started.
I also wanted to set some goals or some intentions for what to create this year and what to aim for. Just as with personal new year’s resolutions, I need to have some professional ones. I am thinking about a show that I will be in with three other artists in March. I would like to have a series of work to show there. This got me thinking that I need to buy some new surfaces that are similar in size. So off I went on Friday, to the very capable carpenters at Day and Night Woodworking to buy some wooden panels in square sizes. Luckily they allow for personal pick up. So now, I have quite a few new surfaces to fill. It turns out, I also need to order some more paint. COVID rules make this tricky. You need to plan ahead more. Online ordering, wait, then go and pick them up. It can be frustrating, but at least places are operating. I am thankful for this.
Each decision made feels like I’m making progress. My head is actually swimming with ideas. Hopefully, I can calm down and focus and bring forth some new work that I will be happy with. Here’s to a productive new year. Thanks for being part of it.
See the short video below:
