POOL IN MAY

Nancy Herman

9" x 12"

oil on canvas board

When I went to see the Van Gogh exhibit, I had been feeling for a while that I was enjoying painting a bit less than I had when I began making these small works. Brushes were getting too small and I was feeling cramped, so I was very receptive to the exhuberance of the paint and texture of Van Gogh's work.  

As a consequence I have been painting slightly larger ( 9" x 12" instead of 6" x 8") and trying to use lots more paint and move around the canvas freely without drawing anything before I start to paint—just diving in.  

I am enjoying these paintings much more.  I am not using nearly as much paint as Van Gogh did, but perhaps I will work up to that.

Let me know what you think.  Unfortunately, the actual dimensions of the paint don't really show in a reproduction.  That's why you have to go to museums and art galleries to really see what paintings are all about.