"Another Rainy Day in the Hammer"

16 x 20
Oil on Stuff

I wonder if studio painting makes us treat every painting as a potential "masterpiece" rather than as a spontaneous rendering of a subject as is done "plein air". Do we overwork them, lose the sense of the scene? As I often mention, changing to a looser more atmospheric style is my goal. I would like to use bolder more energetic brush strokes, some thicker paint and maintain the sense of time and place. But old habits die hard. I have a solution. After doing a bathroom renovation, we were left with some stiff foam shower material. I have been eyeing it as a potential painting surface. It is light, durable and waterproof and can be cut with an exacto knife. It is cheap, so I can paint larger without worry of wasting canvas. A perfect surface for doing an oil "sketch". It can't be sold, so I won't be focused on sales or "masterpieces". Just for practise, experimentation or anything else I want to do with it. It has a subtle texture, but a couple of coats of Gesso should help. This is my first "oil sketch" on the foam board.
As an example of what I don't want to keep doing is "Lighthouse Fish Market". I loved the quircky signage, and the boxes of fruits and vegetables etc, but I got too laboured in my approach, got out the pointy brushes, and went against all my goals.

8" x 8"
Oil on Gesso Board