Day 14

I am absolutely fascinated by what some artists can do with a can of spray paint. I've used the medium several times with varying degrees of success, and I certainly plan to use it many more times as this project continues. For today's portrait, I simply used it as a means to create a very quick and loose background.

One thing that was interesting about today's art-making process is that I was actually quite frustrated with my artwork at one point. In fact, I was so irritated that I actually swiped my hand across the wet paint on the face and smeared it! At that moment, it seemed as though I had a new lease on the portrait - that I could do whatever I liked because the artwork was already "ruined" and I was sure that I would actually start again on a different artwork. Sometimes an artist is so worried that they'll "mess up" on a project that they're afraid to take any chances on it. Since I believed that this portrait was already a lost cause, I had no problem experimenting with technique, color, style, etc. In the end, it was that experimentation that led to a fairly decent work of art.

#14 November 3, 2010,  Spray paint and acrylic on bristol board
Sounds: Chris Whitley, Living With the Law