Plenty of it.

          Marsh and Mud Flats   Oils on canvas board  10 x 12 inches   

I love mud.  As a child I played with mud, moulding it into shapes and pies.  Mud is plentiful along the East coast in estuaries, river banks and silted marshland.  The colours are wonderful...violet, blue, pink, taupe, greys and browns.  Such rich pickings for a painter.

Sweeping brush strokes and abstraction create a sense of place. 

Studio musings...

 This painting is a re-work over another rejected piece.  When the surface is smooth without lumps and bumps I am happy to do this. Sanding down and scraping with a scalpel can help too but it doesn't always work.  If in doubt...I throw it out.

Smooth is important as I have been disappointed in the past when old lines and lumpy parts show.  For example, in the sky.  Ground level is not so critical as textural marks can hide any rough parts and even add interest to the piece.   It is very painful when a promising image is ruined by inappropriate marks.  Trust me...I have the scars.