Size Matters

I set out this morning to work on a painting of one of my favourite spots on the river Stour, in Blandford.

The canvas you can see above is pretty much the largest size I can use when painting in situ. This is due to the size of my car. Although it is a large estate car, nothing larger will fit in the back. When I bought the car, I compared several different models and makes - taking a tape measure with me to compare width measurements.

Whilst I do work on canvases larger than this, they are restricted to the studio at the moment. I am however looking at investing in a larger vehicle - a van, pickup, or perhaps something with a kind of prop/holder on the side like glaziers have. The other option is a trailer. The search is on.

Size also matters in respect of the preparation of the canvas. I haven't put my usual lead primer on this canvas, but I have sized it with rabbit skin glue. Hence its colour at the top right of the canvas which has not been worked on.