painting little jewels- painting little joys

Recently, since February, after we returned from our sketching trip to the Black Forest, I have spent most of my outdoor painting time creating small size 6 X 8, on beautifully hand made 12 oz canvas mounted on wood. Regularly I return to the small size, mostly when I want an intimate contact with the landscape and develop a more creative approach. Something like an oil painting journal rather than more impressive, larger, individual pieces. I am quite happy to return home at the end of my 7 hour painting day with 7 little paintings, sometimes 5, but I strive for 7, a good number. It allows me to look at my work as a body of work rather than a series of individual paintings. I have been very happy with the results of this approach, less intimidating, allowing me to search for new compositions all the time, therefore having to search inside with my imagination as much as outside with observation. Think about it: if you are in one place for 7 hours or more, hardly moving the easel, you are going to have to find something interesting to say, besides the same old tree by the same old body of water and the same old mountain. So the question now becomes - the eternal quest for the artist - what do I have to say, what is it about this particular moment that makes it interesting, poetic, source of inspiration for a great composition. Because a great composition can be in a small size. Our relationship with photography and the computer technology has completely changed our concept of dimension. When I post an image, does it matter if it is 6 X 8 feet or 6 X 8 inches? On my blog the image will be only what the blog will allow. so I will soon post more of this series