Passing Storm

Evening clouds....the storm had just passed. Acrylic on gessoed masonite panel, 8" x 10".

There is no particular way to direct the work other than to say "I would like to see something like....." This was perhaps the 4th in a short series of cloud paintings. I don't know how to paint them when I start, and once the 5th one starts to look too much like the first, it is time to juggle the general formula again. A very common concern in all the work is to do something 'natural'...and what is natural may not be that obvious. I just finished a painting for example, in which I painted the clouds 3 times over, only to wipe out 3/4 of the work. I then scribbled over the wet paint and with 3 quick brush strokes re-entered some passages which were previously much too overworked or perhaps too predictable.......this solution was much less of a copy, yet more natural and life-like. At least that's how it looks at the moment....perhaps tomorrow it will look different again.....nailing any of this stuff firmly down seems next to impossible.