An artist friend (who would probably prefer to remain anonymous in this instance!) shared with me her secret of painting loose: wine. She said drinking wine while she painted loosened her up. “How much do I have to drink?” I asked (never let it be said that I’m not willing to make sacrifices for my art!). I was intrigued by the idea and thought I’d make an experiment of it sometime.
A couple of days ago I poured myself a glass of wine before dinner. I hadn’t had a drink in so long, I was feeling quite tipsy. Then I remembered the experiment, and thought it would be a perfect time to try it. I quickly pulled up a picture from my files and started painting. I took some pics along the way to document the experiment.
I started with a loose sketch.
Yep, one glass of wine and I can't even tell the picture isn't in focus. What a lightweight.
Fleshing him out a bit, unfortunately still out of focus.
Apparently I was starting to sober up because he's back in focus.
Getting too sober, starting to lose my looseness.
Finished
10"x8"
Soft Pastel on Suede Matboard
I wouldn’t exactly call it a masterpiece, but it’s not particularly horrible either. I think this experiment deserves further exploration. Maybe I'll try it again when the weather warms up and I’m in the mood for margaritas.
