. . .used up scraps

of canvas left over from previous paintings. My workspace maxes out at 48" and most of my canvas has been at least 54" so I have bits and pieces of unused canvas laying around, rolled up, waiting for some creative use. I have used some of the canvas to test out techniques I wanted to try on my other paintings; I have also used them as scrap, to clean my brushes, hoping to come up with random inspiration.


The picture above shows my work table; the painting at the top of the picture is one I'm currently working on. . . this is the first layer. . . and the piece at the bottom is my solution to using some of the then but long pieces of canvas. I tore the canvas up into various widths and wove them into a grid.






The blue and black pieces were from previously painted scraps. I have just been applying whatever paint I had on a brush after painting on the top piece. I really liked the blue and the gray and even some of the bronze yellow, but I don't like the red in it and I will probably gesso over some or all of this today to get serious about it.


I'm kind of excited about this. . . it's something I can do while I wait for layers to dry; it uses up scraps of canvas that are usually too small for anything else; I can tear up some of my old painted canvases that I really hate, that didn't work out for whatever reason, and use them again; it's pretty creative and adds an interesting texture. There are other thoughts bouncing around in my head that aren't solidified yet: cutting slits in canvas and weaving small pieces of canvas and other stuff (rope, twine, painting tape, plastic, etc.) through the slits before painting it; using huge X stitches as design elements; cutting holes in canvas, backing it somehow, and stitching up the holes very loosely, letting some of the backing show through. This satisfies my desire for experimentation without costing really any money and maybe I will come up with something new and different (at least for me) and I can still be working on the art that sells.