“Last Light” Oil. 16 x 20”
This little piece started life as a throwaway palette scraping. At the end of the day, I rub the excess oil paint from brushes onto a canvas before submerging the bristles in safflower oil to reduce environmental impact. When the palette needs cleaning, I scrape the leftovers up-cycle to the throwaway canvas. A throw-away means when you’re working on the “serious” painting and something doesn’t feel right, keep a piece you don’t care about nearby to take frustrations out on, then return to the focus work. This throwaway piece started to exhibit a life of its own and with a little TLC, turned into “Last Light.” I’m currently preoccupied with light and nature settings on smaller canvases that allow practice and exploration.
I wonder how many of us feel like a throwaway canvas? Will somebody recognize our worth under all the mis-matched lumps? With a bit of attention and care would we bloom and make a contribution to the world? When we look at someone we perceive to be throwaway, lets take a second look… what light is there waiting to be noticed?