Thursday, May 17, 2007

Preparing to paint

Before I received the email listing all the things I needed to take to my first abstract painting class, I'd assumed that I would already have pretty much everything I'd need for Saturday afternoon. 'Cos, y'know, I used to paint a bit.

Then I remembered that most of my student acrylic paints have ended up as TLM's finger paintings. And on her clothes, hair and skin.

I also recalled that my last two blank canvasses have since been transformed into portraits of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, respectively, hanging up on TLM's bedroom walls.

And then the list arrived in my inbox and I realised that I'd have to do some concentrated shopping for art supplies.

Like, I'd have to find myself a colour wheel, a colour chart (whatever the heck that is), a new sketchbook (because mine are all full of naked people), new tubes of paint and 3-4 canvasses. It's just as well I still have my colour pencils, erasers, TLM's crayons and the artist's smock which the boy gave me.

Apparently the cost of obtaining all these items is only supposed to cost around thirty bucks. Like hell they are. The canvasses alone would cost more than that, and that's if I were to buy the the cheap-as-dirt made-in-China ones from The Warehouse.

But I've managed to put together most of the stuff I'll need (except for the colour wheel and colour chart) for this weekend. The sack is so big and heavy that there's no way I'll be able to get there without the car.

Oh yes...I'm supposed to arrive with some ideas for paintings as well. Shit.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I would've thought being abstract might've meant you wouldn't have to think about what you were painting. Maybe you could just tell them the reason you didn't come with ideas is that you wanted to be free to let inspiration take you wherever... Or do you want us to give you ideas? I say giraffes.

Angela said...

Ideas always seem to be hard to come up with. you could paint shoes. Have fun

Daddy L said...

Go down to the hardware shop and pick up a few four liter cans of Indoor Latex paint. That should last you years, and in the long run save you a ton of money.

Not to mention you can paint your living room at the same time.

Anonymous said...

Can't you say deep things like "I want to explore colour without form" (splodges) or "a definition of light using the hard lines of an urban landscape" (lines)

I don't mean to be disrespectful, I'm hoping your posts on your classes will help me understand abstract art better!

Violet said...

editter: Me too! Perhaps that's why I find it harder to appreciate abstract painting, than figurative painting...

angela:what kind of shoes though? Stilletoes? Sneakers?

daddy l: yeah, well...I don't think it's a house painting class ;-)

cathi: you must've been an art historian in a previous life - if not your current one. Both lines sound very impressive and I may use both of them.