10 Year Anniversary: The Painting Diary 6 of 30
Painting Diary Day 6 of 30: Competitors, 2011
This is an interesting painting for a few reasons. One, it was the first time I would attempt an animal. Secondly, it is the first time my love for foliage came out, with total disregard for region; tropical fronds are mixed in with whatever else I could dream up, painting entirely from my imagination. Lastly, this painting is interesting because it would take five years to finish it. I’m placing it here chronologically because it’s beginning is what’s most impactful.
When I started this painting in early 2011 I had just rented an art studio for the first time. I had decided to get serious about painting and thought it would be nice to have a dedicated work space, even though I knew that my time there was probably very limited.
At the start of 2011 I had stopped paying my mortgage and was making plans to quit the day job, put everything into storage and go on a grand adventure. My first destination would be Italy were I would spend the whole summer in the Northern Alps with family. Part way into this painting I stopped working and packed up the art studio, this painting and everything else went into storage for the next two years or more.
When I pulled this painting out two years later and took a good look at it, it felt all wrong. Originally the setting for this little chameleon was a desert canyon, not a jungle at all. For some reason the canyon felt wrong and so I started to let it change, adding more foliage here and there. Little by little it started to fill in and become a jungle setting. The story element came in late in the game when I added the Venus fly trap and the title for the painting was chosen. I continued to work on it off and on for quite awhile, finally abandoning it, not fully satisfied. Two years later I would again pull it out and finally finish it, giving the chameleon a facelift and full paint-over. I don’t like to revisit old work this way but this time I’m glad I gave it that extra push at the end.
Competitors, oil on board, 2011 - 2016