Scrap Heap

Scrap Heap, oil on raw canvas, 2023

Scrap Heap is the first painting that I ever built my own strainer for and made a big difference in my awareness and consideration of my materials. It also served as a good reminder as to why I enjoy painting. I made this while still in school and busy making art for assignments. My excitement over finishing the strainers in class pushed me to start painting without any plan or preparation. Typically I wouldn’t work without putting gesso on a canvas first but for this small, impulsive piece it was fun! My go-to way of working wasn’t yielding the results I wanted on the raw canvas letting me think outside the box and try something new. 

The colors and textures of the portrait had been blended into one smooth layer so, focusing on opposition, I grabbed bright, strong swaths of color with a palette knife. The palette knife helped cover ground quickly and didn’t want gesso as badly as my brushes. I chose colors based off of what was leftover and still usable on my palette from earlier, again pushing to find an end result different than what I had been stuck in. 

I still think about this painting when I get stumped with other works; reminding myself to focus on what excites and inspires me to keep looking for the next step forward.