Yep. Painting is messy. Especially, I find, oil painting. Oil paints are hard to clean up. If you drip a blob on the floor, you're basically just going to spread that color around - or, hazard of hazards - try to use a paint thinner to clean it up, to some unknown risk of how the flooring will make out...
But, oil paints are my favorite. I love how long they take to set (despite covering my art studio walls with smudges of paint when I hang canvases to dry). I love the texture. I love the process of mixing shades. I love the smell. I love how they blend.
I hate cleaning brushes. I would let my brushes soak in turpentine for... say... 6 weeks. And one day, I'd muster up the decency to clean them. A task that would take just a few minutes, but felt impossibly mundane after releasing a creative burst of energy on said canvases. So, I took a course on SkillShare (more on this in a futur epost), that was all about fingerpainting in oils.
Fingerpainting? I wondered to myself - could this be? I don't ever recall fingerpainting as a kid, though I'm sure I must have. Fingerpainting... what would people think? Would they laugh at this childish style? Would I be able to execute my vision using just my fingers - and no brushes? Well - why not try?
I tried it. I loved it. I loved how I could interact with the paints, blend the colors, infuse the work with my energy and creativity (at least, it felt that way to me). Much to my inner procrastinor's joy, cleanup was minimal!
I'm pleased to unveil several works, fingerpainted in oils, in the gallery. Sizes range from 12"x12" to 4'x4'. If you're loving something, contact me and it can be yours.
Be like Cheri, and contact me for a commission (thank you, Cheri!).
In the meantime, I'll keep my hands busy, looking something like this:
