Playing With Acrylic

Every once in  while it's fun to experiment with other materials and techniques. This giraffe is one of three jungle-themed canvas panels I've made for my niece's baby's room. My sister had originally painted a mural on two walls of her room, but the kids had to leave that house after my sister died. Obviously they couldn't take the walls with them, so I offered to re-create the mural on canvas. 

It turned out to be a bigger job than I had anticipated! Not only do I have little experience with acrylics, but three large (about 36" square) paintings is a lot to tackle for a novice! But I charged ahead (fools rush in ... etc.) and actually had a good time. Learned a lot about color mixing, proportion, background values, and balance, among other things. My friend Christine Turner, a former art teacher, was kind enough to give me some pointers.

I think I'll be sticking to mosaics for the time being, but it was a pleasant change of pace, and who knows? I might get the bug to do more someday.

Update on the Madonna mosaic of Encinitas, which I wrote about last week: The city council has voted to have it removed.  They will have a hard time of it; apparently whoever put it up used a strong epoxy glue.