Redbud on the Lawn

Redbud on the Lawn
Oil on canvas, 5x7

Weekend days are especially busy, full of basketball games, family activities and always unexpected chores that just pop up!  While out, I had picked up some small canvas boards (5x7) - for those days when time is short.  I never paint on these without first priming with a gesso tinted with acrylic paint, with some kind of a ground added in for boosted texture.  Well, today I did, first time in all of these 400 plus daily paintings.  Once I had picked out my subject matter, I really wanted this format for my composition - not the 6x6's that were already primed.  Taking one of these naked 5x7's, I washed it with burnt sienna thinned down with safflower oil, wiping it off once applied with a paper towel.  I never, ever use turpentine or mediums, so the oil was my only option.  From here, I used my stick pastel to sketch out the painting - and to my surprise, it did not get all "oily" and unusable.  The pastel just merged over the top of the wash.  The paint went on smoother than normal, because of the light wash.  I normally apply the oil right onto the dry surface, so more paint sticks readily without sliding around.  With all of the crazy little things I did differently tonight, the painting still flowed right out of my brush.  I am so looking forward to spring, and this one puts me in the mind of the Augusta Plein Air Festival!  Painting number 432 in as many days :)