Rewind- and Repaint

 Now that I am moving studios and having a real chance to do some spring/summer cleaning I have gathered a heap of old paintings from school that I am going to paint over. Lost of old classroom and odds and ends, failures and fugly paintings from the last several years of school. Its a great way to see progress and remember the painful steps and missteps of hard work up the endlessly steep Art Mountain. Its also a great way to say some $$$$$$! I figure with the 20 or so paintings I covered with the Windsor Netwon oil primer I saved way over $100 on canvases. I also like the textures of painting over old paintings, the surface can really be a lot of fun and grungy in spots which makes of very interesting textural opportunities and accidents. There is something so satisfying about taking a  house painting brush and stroking fresh white paint over these scabs of art.

Its also funny to actually remember making these paintings--even making specific strokes, marks and passages.  Some where done in good company with my friends out painting in Philly, some even paint here at home with the DPC. Some of the landscapes were clearly many moments of anxiety and a collision of poor thought and organization--many classroom paintings moments of anger and frustration trying to apply the lesson at hand and do something I was happy with. Sometimes that just couldn't be done--it was like a bad marriage.  But doing dozens and dozens even hundreds of paintings is the only real path to glory, and if not glory confidence and competence--enjoyment even.