Adventures in Painting Cotton

"Cotton Field"
8" x 8" oil on gesso board



In November I will be participating in a show in Bisbee, AZ that is in celebration of the Heather Green Studio's 2nd Anniversary since opening.  The show theme is called "Cotton Anniversary" and although the gallery is open to all media, subject and style with the only rule being it must have the dimensions of 12" x 12", I really wanted to try and paint cotton. I don't have a lot of background or relationship with cotton as a plant and I was curious and challenged by the idea of painting it. As it turned out, cotton harvest here in Arizona is in the month of October, so Luke and I set out in search of a cotton field so I could collect some reference photos and also get to know the cotton plants. We were very fortunate to find an amazing and perfect field in a nearby town and our timing couldn't have been better as they were in the process of harvesting right at that moment! I actually fell in love with cotton, it is such a powerfully beautiful plant and I managed to get some great shots. I was also able to absorb some of that "cotton magic" for later when I painted. To have that personal one on one with the subject always makes for a better painting experience.

I put together this fast motion painting video of  one of the cotton paintings being entered in the show. I am still trying to get the hang of this movie making thing but it was fun and gets the message across I think :) Enjoy!


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