Folk Art Bird Painting

An original acrylic painting 10 1/2" x 8 1/2" 27cm x 22cm
The diamond shapes are collage pieces from a gardening journal - I love these little clicks of color, with tiny details, they make the painting sparkle.
I usually have a very rough sketch of the compositional elements in my paintings, I add details as I go along and see how the painting develops. To help me be more spontaneous I paint a layer of burnt sienna over the white gesso - this way I feel free to mess up. Sometimes it´s a bit scary to paint on a virgin white canvas. I don´t mind too much if the brown shows through, I don´t always want my work to see too polished or artificial.
The decoration on the right hand side is derived from penny rag rugs. I often like to use motifs from traditional crafts, quiltmaking, embroidery, rugmaking and knitting. I am fascinated by these home crafts, these crafters have a long creative history of making wonderful works of art, often with limited means and materials. For me, they are the true heroes of the art world who bring design, color and imagination to ordinary homes.