Small Talk

Small Talk
Acrylic on canvas, 6 x 6 inches. $95.00

Hello! "Small Talk" shows a pair of one of my favorite birds, American Goldfinches, on my favorite birdbath. I really like to paint on canvas but it does present a problem solving opportunity when painting in fine detail. The texture of the canvas appeals to me, but the tiny "bumps" in the weave tend to assert themselves at the worst locations--like where I want to place the bird's beak or eye. I grab my reading glasses and my big magnifying glass, then pick up my tiniest brush (the hummingbird's eyelash size), then dip my brush ever so carefully to collect a microscopic dot of paint, then approach the canvas, hold my breath, then gently place the dot for the birds eye. Sometimes the stars are all aligned and all goes well. Other times, I hit a small bump and my brush glides right off. Curses. Erase and try again. Curses. Erase then try again, and again. I can almost hear the choir sing when the eye dot lands perfectly. You know, its really not fair that the viewer gets to use their computers to increase the size of a 6" x 6" painting, that was never meant to be viewed too closely, to the size of a billboard. But I digress. The finches in "Small Talk" both have their eyes and beaks in the right place today, and that makes everything okay. Thanks for looking!

Penelope

** I always paint the sides of the canvas, in this case dark green, and include the hardware, so that my paintings are ready to hang without a frame.