These paintings, represent a sort of breakthrough in my process.

http://kenney-mencher.com/

These paintings, represent a sort of breakthrough in my process. I sketched it out and then set it aside, then worked on it a week or two later.  Let it dry again and then worked on it some more.  Now I’ve planned a series of larger paintings like this red bearded guy you’ve bought.  That’s one of the reasons why there is such a variation in color and texture.  The background in these paintings were applied on top of an older color and since the paint was dry enough on the bottom coat I was able to use large knives to apply the background. 

I’ve been spending a day or two at a time planning out 5-10 paintings by sketching them out with burnt umber paint onto canvas boards and then setting them aside.  

 I’ve been even doing this a little bit with crayon on the 11 x 14 paper that I like to make water colors on. I’ve been then going through these drawings on canvas and on paper and doing a first sort of coat or underpainting in the case of the oil paintings, setting them aside, and then going back through the bunch again a third or fourth time.

What I’m kind of noticing is that it’s not necessarily speeding up the process of making work as I thought it would but what it is doing is allowing me to revisit the subject several times with some thoughtful time in between and in the process I think that the finished paintings and watercolors are significantly better. I guess I would describe “better” as having more accurate drawing, more thoughtful color combinations, and better more designed brushwork. I think that one of the things I’m really trying to do with the thick paint and the hog’s hair bristle brushes is to follow the planes of the faces and the contours of surfaces. I hope this doesn’t sound too techie or something.

http://kenney-mencher.com/