Horsing around with simple brushstrokes

I never know when to stop. I enjoy painting and just keep going until I get tired, run out of space or sell the thing I'm working on.

 Even this was pretty "busy" but I just kept going.

I thought sure I'd ruined it when I began adding the black but it settled in to the rest of the design when I added the white dots over it so I guess that was alright.

As long as I had the black paint out I thought I'd take the idea a step further and I'm not sure what I think of that so I'll put away my brushes for the night and take a fresh look at it in the morning.

Regardless of what becomes of these it just feels good to be painting again. I have no idea what I'll be working on next but it feels good to have studio space set up in the dining room so that it will be handy whenever I'm ready for any serious painting as well as days when I do things like this.

Six things to know about a blank canvas

 Things to remember about a blank canvas:
1. It's only canvas and wood, nothing to be afraid of.
2. It works for you and will become whatever you make of it.
3.  It doesn't matter how or where you start.
4. It doesn't matter what tools you use.
5. It doesn't matter what type or colors of paint you use.
6. all that matters is that you start the journey and see where it takes you.

I like to grab the first few tubes of paint in my box, just grab, don't choose and Yes, I start applying it with my hands. In this case I started with  the 4 dark corners and lighter colors to the center thinking that I may want some backgrounds ready for floral paintings when the flowers start blooming again.

At this point I start using brushes and palette knives to knock off any high points or deep ridges and begin to smooth things out a bit.

This will be the direction the canvas will go when it's eventually filled with a vase of flowers. It's got a long way to go before it will be ready but the important thing is that it's off to a good start.

The clutter monster

This is the mess that greeted me this morning.

  Yes, believe it or not there IS a worktable under all of this.

I'm planning on painting today so I'll sort most of it on the bed because I need to get to get to that canvas before my free time and the mood fly away. I tossed all of the yarn back in my crochet bag and hung that on the wall but I'll just toss the rest of it out of my way while I'm painting.