One of the ways I take the fear out of starting on a bright white blank canvas is by giving myself permission to mess it up.
I just launch out, no drawing or plan, massive paint brush in hand [you know, the type for painting walls] and let myself go. Yes, my goal might be to eventually paint the whole thing, but I'm not going to do that neatly. Not when I can mess about creating new compositions first!
And that is the story of how these birds came to be. That and my antique book of animals. I propped the hefty tome open, hoping to avoid covering it in paint, and used the illustrations as a springboard for the swan. As for the crazy duck-she just came from a strange corner of my head.
'Duck in a Flap' is extra special because I finished him off with a gold leaf beak and a black freshwater pearl eye. A little experiment. I'm not sure whether jewellery and paint will ever sit easily together, but its the contrast and the unexpectedness of it that brings this little quacker of a painting to life.
As for Black Swan,[my version of Chinese art] - I've hung him above my desk and would quite happily keep him, but I think I might sell him online at £60 when my business launches, maybe to the Queen, who seems partial to a good swan.
