This is an 11" x14" oil on linen painting "Pond Study I", I did of the Morton Arboreteum pond a couple of weeks ago. After completing it I thought it might have more impact at a larger size. So off I went to the art supply store, where I settled on a 24" x 30" canvas for the final painting. I usually like to work on paintings 18" x 24" or smaller, as my studio is rather small and I can't get far enough away from larger pieces to see them at a distance. I also often paint sitting in a chair and like to see the whole painting without getting up. These reservations aside I painted the larger painting.
This is the larger (24 x 30) painting, which I call "Dance". I named it "Dance" because the flowers in the foreground seem to dance across the paintings surface. Is it a better painting for being larger in size? I am not sure. But it does have more wall presence which I needed for my upcoming December thru January one-man show at Fermi Laboratory's Art gallery. In our society at least as far as art goes, bigger is often considered better. As for my work the jury is still out. However, I suppose once in a while, I will have the urge to paint a big painting, but when I look at the work of some of my favorite artists, for example, Thomas Aquinas Daly (who paints very moderate sized paintings) I am reminded that good art is good art whether big or tiny.
