I am continuing my Twelve of Twelve series, in which I have chosen 12 studies to enlarge up to 36” x 36”.  There will be many observations that I want to share along the way.

I believe the most important piece of creating art is the emotion and energy.  Can you recreate the original piece of art or study and still retain its essence or soul?  

I have seen artists try to copy the original by tracing, using the grid method, a projector or printer to enlarge a painting.  What happens when you do this?

It is a priority for me to not only keep the integrity of the original piece, but also not to lose its freshness and vitality.  And as I scale up the small studies to a larger format, I have to allow the creation to have a life of its own.

Some of the undertakings I considered prior to increasing the size were:

  1. Keeping the same mediums and substrate; arches oil paper, oil paint and cold wax, mixed media 
  1. Establishing the major shapes and composition, and allowing change if needed to make stronger
  1. Understanding the original and its transparencies, layers and textures; what came first, what is over, what is under, how can I increase the same effect in a larger scale
  1. Using the same tools but larger, that includes stencils, rollers, bowl scrapers, brushes , etc.
  1. And what is the mood and essence that I want to repeat from the original piece?

 As I enlarge the original, I am always focusing on improving the composition.  But, I also had to allow myself to drift off into another direction if called.  I still want to create something new and exciting.  The study is the starting off point, not the destination.

Year of the Ox
6″ x 6″ Study

The painting above is called “The Year of the Ox” and is the second painting of my “Twelve of Twelve” series.  I hope I captured the energy and celebration of the coming Chinese New Year, “The Year of the Ox”.   We have all had a tough 2020.  “The Year of the Ox”, brings us the opportunity to work hard and deliberate and also to acknowledge the opportunity for resetting our lives to create a more positive future for ourselves and others.