Rough around the edges

I probably should not post when I am in fear. I keep forgetting that the blog is available for anyone with a search engine.

***
But more about me... I had a second studio visit yesterday, showing the small paintings. It went well and I got some good criticism that I'm mulling over: Lose the cheap canvases. (Note: the carton of 30 I ordered, just arrived the other day.)

Prior to circa 2005, I would have scoffed at store-bought canvases, even the "professional or museum profile." In fact, I've always found the museum profile rather ridiculous, as if we need those extra 3 inches raised off the wall to make it a "serious" painting. Okay, you see where this is going; I started embracing the slacker aesthetic of cheap, store-bought canvases and their candyass 3/4" profile. So after paying my dues by building my own, coupled with the apparent difficulty I have with precision, perfection and power tools, I stepped over to the dark side. And from a practical standpoint, it also has to do with economics and my need to keep painting. (See various posts where I speak of not painting for 7-ish years in the 90's.)

So here I am mulling over materials and craftsmanship, again. Crazy how this happens. I swing to a point where I'm trying (it's a fine line here, so bear with me) to make the crappiest paintings on earth using the most godawful colors I can not think of, and I wind up making these tiny paintings that I'm packing with attention and detail, AND now I need to entertain the idea of using quality materials and stretching my own canvas or....linen. LINEN. I love linen. Linen is linen. What painter doesn't love linen? But have you ever tried to disrespect a linen surface? It's hard. Tough Love.

I unpacked the box of store-boughts, ordered some linen on sale, am tearing off the canvas and getting ready to stretch my own.

NO FEAR.