Sheep Dip

In my early painting career, I painted this fun painting and hung it on my own wall.  A friend from work, Jackie Bridger, whom I have completely lost touch, loved it.  She asked me for it over and over and I realized that is when it is time to let one go.  I give most of them away now, but back then, I used them myself and giving one away was giving away my friend.  However, I've never regretted giving it to Jackie, I still believe that it was hers from the time she asked for it.

It has stayed on my mind though along with another I gave away under similar circumstances.  Maybe those first babies were just too dear?  So, I decided to repaint it, it has been 29 years after all!  The first one I painted was on a 16" x 20" canvas board.  This time, I want to paint it on a 20" x 20" x ¾ stretched canvas.  I will be giving Alex his painting soon (I hope!  If I can get that face on!) and I want to put the same size on that easel.  It has been nice as a decoration in the room.  But, I don't know, for practice or as another give-away, I first paint it on a 10" x 10" x 1½" stretched canvas.  It was pretty easy and I liked that!  Oh, by the way, the original I painted after was done by Sally Wildman and she painted it on a 42" x 48" with oil pastels.  Now that was a big undertaking!  I found it as a tiny clip in an art magazine.  I have not been able to find it on line although I have found Ms. Wildman.  She does not appear to have her own Blog but you can Google her and find a few paintings including mine!

Here is a bio about Ms Wildman (1939- ) :
Sally Wildman is a graduate of OCAD in the 1960's. The subject of her drawings are mainly everyday objects and animals seen through a whimsical filter. She is greatly influenced by a long love affair with rural environments in England and Canada. Using pastel, she finds there is a freedom to manipulate images by introducing a note of humour in a surreal narrative. Her work is included in many public and private collections including Dofasco, Xerox, Langdon Hall, Redpath and the Government of Ontario.

What I see in her work is much more detail and control.  They are beautiful fine art and I wonder why she would paint something as simple as this "Sheep Dip"?  Maybe, as her Bio stated, it was just a moment (on such a large canvas) of whimsey!

I'm going to post both my original and today's.  My observation is that my first one was better than todays.  I would like to think I've grown as an artist in 30 years, but it doesn't look like it.  I am grateful though, if could have been worse!  Always the optimist.  Here they are:

 Sheep Dip (1984)

16" x 20 " acrylic on canvas board

 

Sheep Dip (2013)

10" x 10" x 1½" acrylic on canvas
Sides painted Phthalocyanne Green (Blue Shade)

March 5, 2013

It's pretty nice ... and available!