I hoped to finish the underpainting on Crossing but, as you can see in the accompanying photo, I ran out of gas. The initial stage for a painting of this size, 40″ x 50″, is about getting paint on the canvas.
By the time I start painting, the design is complete. But change is natural. In Crossing, I drew a large tree on the right side but changed my mind and painted over it. But I am still unsettled about it so–who knows?–it might grow back.
I’ve settled on white grounds for this new cycle of paintings. I’ve used toned grounds for most of my career, but now I prefer white.