Roulette
oil on canvas
30" x 40"
Every so often, I find an opportunity to paint a subject I'd typically avoid. I wouldn't say I've grown to love the struggle, but I've certainly come to appreciate the process of making a picture when the odds aren't in my favor. I'm never very picky about subject matter, as I've always enjoyed finding paintings in boring and overlooked places, however, I definitely have a wheelhouse that dictates what I choose to paint on most occasions. While the subject above was anything but boring, I decided a long time ago it was something I'd never paint...
so I painted it.
I guess I fibbed...I've painted this subject several times before, but never from this point of view. If you're not sure what Roulette is a depiction of, don't worry about it...that's part of the reason I chose to paint the scene. It's too abstract, it's too obvious, it's too complicated, it's too boring, it's too symmetrical, it's too round, it's too flat...basically, it's the most obvious but least sensible way of tackling such a subject, and I like that. It was one of those, "that looks super cool but I'd never try to paint it" situations. One of those, "let's do the opposite of everything that feels comfortable" moments.
I wouldn't say the painting is a great one, but I'm happy with how it turned out. It's interestingly abstract for those who don't know the subject, obviously representational for those who do, and it has a tongue-in-cheek provocative thing going on that I like.
If you're from my neck of the woods and happen to visit West Baden in the coming weeks, check out the fireplace...it's huge.
