"Geraniums" oil painting (unfinished - update post)

It's been 18 days since the last update of this painting, an oil on linen, 30"x36."

I'm finding this project to be very interesting and challenging since it is a new approach in my oil painting experience. I've been doing basically the same procedure with large sheet watercolors for many years, but I only recently started working with oil paint again and never before in this way.

Additionally, I'm "getting up to speed" with handling and mixing oils after not touching them for about ten years (I was working with watercolors during that time). I'm finding it a bit of a struggle but I'm making good progress. I expect the work to flow much more as I continue.

After many years of working exclusively from life with oil paint under time pressure, I'm accustomed to working much faster - or shall I say, spending much less time on one painting to complete it - so my impulse is to want to rush. I'm fighting that because I'm aiming for something much different now: a more thought out, "finished" painting in a very large (for me) format, allowing myself to take all the time I need.

I've been focused primarily in the central area of the canvas, trying my best to complete each area as I go. As I work, I refer to the photo reference on my computer and a 1/4 size oil study.

I have a lot more work to do on this canvas. I may need the rest of 2018 for all I know. I'm prepared to take as much time as necessary to get what I want, however. A canvas this size, with this working method, takes a lot of orchestrating, fine tuning, and careful, accurate painting. I refuse to give in to my impatience though! The irony is that I want the final result to look as though it was effortlessly done.

I hope you enjoyed this peek into my process of creating a large painting.

Stay tuned for more progress updates!