I have been working on a smaller piece (18 x 24 inches) and it’s oil on clayboard. I started this Thursday and I’ll be done before the weekend is over. I haven’t been this excited about painting in a while. I have been drawing more often (I think that’s the ticket), which is how a painting like this comes about.

About a week ago I just spent hours drawing simple ideas in my larger sketchbook and made sure I thought very little about it, going for quantity instead of quality. After about six pages of doing this, the ideas began to get more expressive and instinctual, and I wound up with a few I liked. So I got a bunch of Ampersand clayboards to turn the more interesting drawings into small paintings.

I really have been liking painting in oil on the clay surface. It sucks the oils up like a sponge, drying almost instantly, plus it allows for different textures. I am looking forward to scratching onto the surface after it’s all painted and just dig a sharp tool into it and expose some of the white clay.