Recently, I had a neighbor of mine say to me, "You don't really do those 'whipouts' in one day, do you?" I thought it was an odd thing to say, especially since he had been a visitor to my studio and actually witnessed how I work (he could clearly see the stacks and stacks of unfinished whipouts that I draw from every day).
Most of the time I do, in fact, whip them out in one day. Often it takes two sittings: I will start a painting when I get up, go to work, then come home and finish it at lunch, so yes, I still whipped it out in one day. But, that said, there are paintings I start that just won't fall in one day. For example, this morning I attacked this little study in progress:
Daily Whipout In Progress: "Storm Rider Rides Around Storm"
I did the sky in one sitting last weekend. Added the ground the next day, then this morning decided to add a storm rider and found an old photo of a cowboy in a corral facing away. Started with the rear hock, or leg (emulating Dali who insists we start the human figure at the toe and work up, and never start at the head which is the place your left brain tells you to go). But, of course, even with this method I had to stop at the hat and give it a good once over. Ha. It's the most advanced part of the painting. Ha.
I'm laying in the lights on top of the sky and will work from light to dark at lunch today. Still, I believe it qualifies as a whipout, don't you think?
"Frankly, there isn't anyone you couldn't learn to love once you've heard their story."
—Mr. Rogers, who allegedly carried this quote from a social worker, in his pocket at all times
