There are probably a lot of artists out there that hide their art too. There is something very refreshing about putting new work away, out of site, out of reach, out of mind, whether you are really conscious of it or not. Before you know it you are busy on something else, then something else, and then one random morning you are holding a new French study that hasn’t been seen in four years. That’s what happened to me recently.
I was busy doing something in the studio and I came across this small study, and immediately I knew it was from Sarlat in the Dordogne region. It’s funny how you can lose a whole painting for four years but remember precisely how you painted it that morning. It was misty and damp. I headed right out to paint first thing, finding a view, working just off of one of the main roads leading into this Medieval town. It was beautiful out, distant smoke and rolling small farms.
But my study did not go so well. When your work doesn’t go well it usually means you don’t know what you are doing or you just can’t fix it then. Sometimes it can be hard to paint on location when the view in front of you, everywhere around you looks so foreign and rich. When I came back to Massachusetts from France I put it away out of view.
So it was very cool to find this hidden study left in its state of discontent.
This was painted in France on a historic morning in my life. This day I realized granola tastes just fine without the milk. You can eat it right out of the box driving down the road looking for a strong place to work. When I found this small oil waiting patiently, I immediately wanted to paint back into it. It came together quickly. It’s probably been percolating in the back of my mind over many breakfasts.
Feeney, “Salat France” 9×12 Started on location.
Available at the Rowley Gallery.
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