"The Fragrance of Nostalgia" (sold)

(sold)


"Lavender fills my senses with the fragrance of nostalgia." It's one of those fragrances that never seems to go out of fashion. I even have spray starch that smells like lavender! Yes, it 's nostalgia that perfectly describes this scent.

In this piece I began with a very dilute yellow and alternated that with Transparent Raw Umber (Liquitex) and dilute applications of gesso. Throughout this process, I made sure my one dominant window of darks remained that way.

Everyone that's taking a script class from me knows I have a love affair with pencil. Most of the time, I use a Bic mechanical pencil (.5mm) and sharpen it on a sandpaper block. Graphite and gesso go together well, so it's a great choice in those types of pieces.

There are several reasons to develop the pencil habit. First of all, it's extremely portable. It can also be used to write in any direction with no resistance. It enables you to practice and develop muscle memory without having to think about pen and ink at the same time.

Here is a hint or two. If you do decide to pick up a pencil, turn the pencil in your hand after every letter or two in order to be writing with the sharpest part of the point. Hold it vertically to make sure you're writing on the sharpest part. After every few letters, twirl on the sandpaper block again. Just something to do or think about.