Eat Pray Paint

Day before yesterday I started the priest's laundry painting. I'd forgotten how good it feels to create specificity and discreet texture. I painted until four and got three quarters done with the under-painting, which pleased me. Not that I'm going for speed. There will be many layers and glazings and tweaking of colors and edges to come. I got lost exploring the melting world of the luminists and feel I've come home.
It's drying a few days before I go back in with the inky color of the priest's clothes and the dark green and shadowed doors. Probably tomorrow.

Today I worked on the tomato painting. I guess I'll call it the Lamott tomato since one of her books of essays on faith is anchoring the left hand side. This moved fast too. I have learned more than I realize. It's still in the under-painting stage and until all the white of the canvas is covered up I won't be able to discern exactly how I'll push certain values.
Here's a work-in-progress photo. The bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar are in place, minus the complicated lettering of the vinegar label. Also untouched are the book, a cut-glass salt and pepper set, bread, a fork, tines down, on the plate and silver knife with a pearl handle.


I have taken next week off for vacation and hope to empty my mind of verbs and nouns and paint.