Bryan Tipton

My friend Martha recently informed me about the 50% off canvas sale the Art Store in Little Italy (San Diego) was having. I'm not sure if this is a natural progression for most artists, but I feel a desire to work in larger formats, and I have seen myself progressing to bigger sizes. Canvases can be expensive, so with this sale, I decided to buy a decent size canvas. I ended up with one 30x40". It's difficult to realize just how big this size is until a blank one sits in your living room.

I'm not able to articulate my reasons precisely, but I believe that London women are the most attractive in the world. If I was limited to one city to pick a prospective girlfriend, it would be London. They have an independent, down to earth quality I cherish, while also possessing a wonderful sense of humor. Plus, as I have said before, I believe that women growing up in colder climates have an additional quality to them I find most attractive. Resourcefulness? Common sense? A survival instinct? I don't know. But I do know it's present. One night in London I rode the Tube from Holborn station to Leicester Square, on my way to see the musical, Les Miserables. Across from me sat the most amazing girl. We both sat quietly along my two stops. Her with hands clasped on her lap. She non-descript and unassuming. No make-up. Dark, shoulder length hair. Her wearing long coat in the bitter chill of a London evening. Subtlely subdued. Perhaps sad, but with a smile lurking on the surface. And for these two stops I wished she was my girlfriend. On my 30x40" blank canvas, I want to capture this scene, and call it Cosette.

Along with my large canvas purchase, I paid twelve dollars for a piece of flat maple wood measuring 10x10". Tonight, I started painting a portrait on it and while it's a bit strange painting acrylic on wood, it has an ease about it I enjoy. Although from here on out, I'll start buying it from the standard lumber yard for much less money.