Thinking in paint.....

When I was in Art School/college, the drawing instructor spent a good deal of time speaking of "thumbnail sketches". I don't think any art student took those conversations seriously. Why on earth would "We" - aspiring artists (and darn good ones at that) waste our time doodling? The instructor was adament that we, at least, do some research and see which artist that we admired - doodled. I took it to heart and discovered that nearly every artist that I admired (Sargent, Chase, Tarbell, Monet, Pissaro, and I could name many many more) ALL kept sketch books and did their planning and thinking via doodles. The painting I've displayed in this Blog is a "sketch", in paint, 8 X 10 inches. It is the beginning - a resurgence, if you will - of my return to sketches or what I call - Thinking in paint. The size is small enough for me to get a thought down in a matter of minutes. Working quickly and pushing my mind to spill-out thoughts on subjects that have lingered in my mind for years. This "sketch" opens a mental dialog with myself concerning a common, Southern phenom - the "Camp" place. Could be a Deer Camp or a Fishing Camp - both popular in the South. The Camp itself is usually a collection of buildings and/or trailers (RV's and/or house type) that are arranged in what appears to be a hap-hazzard manner. Truth is, this Camp was probably begun long ago by the grandfathers or great grandfathers of the current residents. It's almost like an on-going sculpture that is added to on a regular basis. I'm facinated by the shapes that this continuing building process creates as well as the colors (patina) created through the weathering process on the surfaces of the different kinds of building material - wood and metal. For some reason, I believe that there is a genuine series of paintings of this particular subject just waiting to be found. I hope you join me in the search and feel free to comment or critize as you see fit. Thanks for reading....... C U with another sketch soon.