something new

Unlike most of my other pieces, this piece is pretty small (about 6 by 7 inches).  This painting only took around two hours and made me realize that working from good reference is very important.  If you take your own photos with composition and all of those different elements in mind when you take the photograph, it makes the painting process much easier because much of the work is already done.  From now on, I'm taking tons of pictures, even if I don't have an idea in mind for my next project.  Ideas start to form when you look back at the pictures and you find special elements that you like about them.  I'm also excited to take my photos and exaggerate certain things about them. Basically, it's taking one form of art(a photo) and turning it into another form of art(a painting).  There would be no point of making a painting of a photo that looks exactly alike.  In that case, why not just have the photo...sooooo..exaggerate to make things exciting!