Kudzu

Finally finished another book. As seems to be usual for these book paintings, this one had a surprise variable--the cover seemed to be coated, maybe with the mounting varnish or glue, but it was slippery so paint did not stick very well. The solution was to let every coat dry thoroughly, so that made for glacial speed progress. This is the first one of this series that didn't have a critter on it but I enjoyed just painting an object and the design challenge that the leaf shape presented. It's always fun to figure out how to fill a space with a good balance of negative and positive shapes. Also, making a simple object visually interesting. I chose to employ dramatic lighting instead of my usual modus operandi which would have been to do a botanical-type leaf study.

My friend Mary Brent that I did this for, is a writer and Kudzu Rising is the title of her as yet unpublished novel so I thought she would enjoy springing this on someone as if it had been published. A lot of painstaking work goes into each part of these painted books, but the final product is always rewarding.