8x8 inches, acrylic on canvas board
The past couple days here in southern Wisconsin have been pleasant, in the 80s, and the result for me was a feeling of enthusiasm and energy that I haven't experienced in weeks. Encouraged by results on the old photos from my stash, I decided to take a stag at this boy on a pony. The tiny black and white photograph was obviously snapped on our family farm, and since my grandfather saved it until his death in the 1970s, I assume the child is a relative, I'm guessing Grandpa's older brother John's son. It looks to me like the boy's outfit is from the 1920s, which would be about right for that family.
I decided to do a series of these photos, all the same size, on inexpensive canvas board from the local hobby store. I gesso the boards first to fill in the rough texture a bit, and to just get over my hesitation at making a first mark. Then I drew in the figures, and built the images up layer by layer. This time I experimented with a slow dry medium added in to the acrylic. It seemed to give the paint a bit longer before it dried, and gave me the ability to thin each color a bit, improving the application, and allowing me to glaze.
I intend to apply gold leaf to the background, just as I did with the panting of the girl with the rabbits. I may also go into this with some colored pencil, perhaps add some shading in blues or violets.
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