I just had to try these nearly new (to me), gouache paints on a gesso primed surface to see if they would make me as happy with a songbird portrait as all the wild and wacky colors on the shaped "canvases".  Hmmm...not really sure yet.  The colorful, whimsical do-hickies that I've been creating this last month (see some of them below-or find me on Facebook), have been a wonderful lift to the spirits.  Sure do wish that Daily Paintworks would allow us to share our sculpted works so I could keep playing with the weird colors of my Calico Crazies.  I've been having the time of my life with them!

 I've taken a break from my normal songbird paintings to indulge myself in tons of wild and crazy colors.  I've made these kinds of pendants and ornaments for many years, but this is the first time that I gessoed them first, to make a shaped canvas to paint on.  The gesso allowed me to play with all the mediums in my toolbox, so I started making all new molds for a whole new set of characters to play with, and ones that worked better/easier for painting calico patterns and weird things all over them.

While I was digging out all my different paint sets to see what worked best for what I wanted to do, I discovered an old set of gouache that I've had for half a million years (I think).  I whole new artist was born!  Painting with gouache on a gessoed surface responds completely different from any other kind of paint.  Watercolors can't handle a candle to these things!  I am so impressed and have a whole new respect for gouache paints.  This kind of paint never runs or bleeds, no matter how heavy handed I get with the spray-on super gloss varnishes.