I had intended to do this Double Yolk Egg Raw painting last Saturday for Day 31 as a sign-off, my third egg from the same lucky carton. That was before my main desktop computer went to computer heaven (aka the Apple Store) for a new logic board and power supply. Now that my iMac is back after a week, I feel whole again – and am ordering a second external backup drive today.
A number of people have asked me why I decided to do the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. The best way to explain might be to show them this painting.
Day 31 of the 30/30 Challenge. “Double Yolk Egg Raw” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting on cradled panel, 5 x 7 inches.
This is something I would have not have attempted before the Challenge for a variety of reasons.
This painting would have taken me so long in a larger version (maybe weeks) that I probably wouldn’t have invested the time in something with such an uncertain outcome. If I did go ahead with it, I probably would have given up in the middle as I got caught up in all the minutia (especially the bubbles). Instead, painting this in one day forces you to work the total image and take a more global view within a short span of time – to get to the essence without getting too hung up in the details. I constantly checked in with myself, always asking, “What are the most important features that make this look like an egg?”.
Before the Challenge, I felt that this egg was a risky subject in its rawness, with the metallic reflection showing through the very transparent egg – not nearly as “safe” as my previous two attempts, which you can see in my Day 30 post.
For the record, I used to think those first two eggs were risky too, but everything is relative with practice and confidence, isn’t it? And that’s what the Challenge did for me. It gave me confidence and permission to experiment and explore new avenues in a different way than before. I was able to work up to this painting in three stages in a matter of days – first with the double yolk in a white bowl, then a partially cooked egg in a metallic pan, and finally the raw egg against the metal.
As it turns out, I like this painting for its design. Last night when I glanced at it in my studio, I thought it almost had an abstract quality to it. Somehow it felt more spontaneous in its subject and composition. Maybe I even took a walk on the wild side with the double yolks separating from each other, almost like an Impressionist view of an egg (my art history is showing again).
Now the big Post-Challenge questions remains:
How will these small daily paintings on wood translate into larger 16 x 20 inch oil paintings on linen canvases? Will I miss the style I developed painting on firmer wood? (I just placed a special order for expensive linen canvases with less of a texture, so I feel obligated to use them. At the time, I wasn’t thinking about using wood!)
And, which of the three eggs should I do first?
I would love to hear what you think.
What a lucky carton of double yolk eggs this turned out to be! You never know where your inspiration will come from.
It was such a luxury to spend all weekend talking about art, past and present. We continued the art dialogue we had begun last summer with our first visitors, Barbara and Howard (and their friend Linda on the right), who we met at the Seward Johnson Retrospective at the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ.
It was an exciting weekend that opened the door to a variety of potential new ideas and opportunities – everything from future commissions, to a request for private lessons, the possibility of another demo and talk, and an offer to explore the possibility of licensing my images to an upscale clothing company.
There is something nice and clean about this version.
