Outspoken, Studio painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Outspoken, Jo-Ann Sanborn

Acrylic on Canvas, 36"x24"

Outspoken is about boldness.  The brushstrokes are heavy and defined, and the palm dominates the background.  The sawgrass is dense and barely let the palm through but it somehow got a foothold and prevailed.  The light glows softly and the result pleases me.  I'm painting again!

Finishing the book Embracing the Everglades, redoing the studio, and updating my website has really cut into my painting time.  While I've been creating, I haven't been painting as much.  The endorphins are high when I view a blank canvas, and the discipline of painting at least a little almost every day can be as addictive as a daily run for some people.  I'm anxious to get back to a regular schedule.   

Sometimes, for an artist, a break can be refreshing.  Somehow the brain is still working on painting, and when you go back you find that you've figured something out, grown in another direction, or have learned something new.  Your style may have changed a little because of the break, because you have, too. 

So I'm looking forward to the next few months.  Marco will be energized by the return of the snowbirds.  The Everglades will be more inviting to visit with fewer mosquitoes and showers.  I'll be back to painting a regular schedule. 

I'll be experimenting with some new techniques.  I want more texture, more movement and interest in the brushwork, but also want the interior glow of a luminous painting.  Can these be both obtained in the same painting? Glazing?  Transparent Color?  Substrata? Additives?   We'll see.