Looking at old photos to find subject matter for paintings, I came across this picture. I took it when I lived on Wilson St, at the top of a hill near the house. The shadow was the thing that attracted me, and the backlight. I hate to take the time to cut up my roll of paper, and I used the last sheet on my block. I looked through my accumulated scraps and found this piece of 300 lb. Arches. I have rarely used such heavy paper, partly because of the expense and partly because I thought I didn't like it. I was amazed at the way it handled the paint. It is so absorbant that you can keep going back into the work without the dreaded over-worked appearance. It felt like cheating.
Nevertheless, how can I not love the colors in the shadow that came from wash after wash, one over the other. There's no way to put on too much paint. The one drawback is that you can't lift anything off. You really have to save those lights.
One thing's for sure. Whenever I see a painting in a magazine or book that was done on 300 lb paper, I'll know the artist didn't have to work very hard........
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