Issue 17 contributor Laura Gossen tells us why painting chickens is essential to her painting process.


What is your artistic process like?

The best advice I ever got from an art teacher about painting is “don’t make it too precious!”

For me this means, I shouldn’t let my OCD perfection seeking nature mess my painting up by overworking the heck out of it. I paint multiple paintings at a time so I don’t get too caught up in the painting I am working on. Usually I will paint a commissioned piece along with a chicken painting or two. Going back and forth to chicken paintings helps keep my brush strokes loose and prevents me from taking myself or my art too seriously.

Laura Gossen Artwork Process
Laura Gossen Artwork Process

“I paint multiple paintings at a time so I don’t get too caught up in the painting I am working on.”

I always start with a charcoal sketch followed by an underpainting in burnt sienna to get the tonal values correct. Once I am happy with the composition and values I apply layer after layer of oil paint. I like to leave areas of the underpainting visible and use turpentine to remove paint layers to reveal charcoal marks and the underpainting.

Laura Gossen Artwork
Laura Gossen Artwork
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