Stretching out to a whopping sixty-three square inches of prime real estate, the larger board - 9" x 7" versus the usual 6" x 5" - was more than twice the size of the previous studies. It was the right size for the battered weight of the big salmon head.
Fish Head 9" x 7"
The greater size and the substance of the subject came with higher expectations (that damned word again) and demanded more time. Painting a pear or an apple or even a hammer is one thing. Painting the glistening head of an animal is another. As the fish head began to stink under the hot light, my wife could be heard chanting that classic ballad of the late 70's...
Fish heads, fish heads
Roly-poly fish heads
Fish heads, fish heads
Eat them up, yum!