Taking stock... An unlimited series of self-questioning!!

As is customary for me at this time of the year, I like to analyze my works of the previous 12 months in an attempt to find an optimal path to follow moving forward. Here are some take-home messages from this analysis (clockwise from the top left):

 

•  My most dramatic work on raw cotton/linen was done with both the palette knife and the brush; the canvas was not obliterated completely thus unveiling the natural texture of raw cotton/linen
• Glazes and brush strokes on primed canvas are useful to render a blurry effect but I need to get back to more colors now that I understand the principle; brush strokes are difficult to retain on raw canvas as the paint sinks in
• I like the chalky pastel look obtained when applying color glazes on raw cotton
• Soot and/or walnut stain can produce perfect black and white renditions on raw cotton that are acceptable as is (coloring them may very well add nothing and even defeat the purpose); a soot/walnut stain underpainting can be useful to avoid a first layer of plastic and allow further staining (the idea is to tone down colors applied subsequently)
• Glazes on primed canvas produce realistic images that can become more artistic with selective "deconstruction" work 
• A blurry effect is possible using the brush and the palette knife on coarse cotton (the header for this blog)... but it's an impressionistic approach that is not very differentiating

I will decide on a course of action for next year this week...