Pick up sticks

Pick Up Sticks was invented in the 1930s. I played it when I was a kid in the 70s and the game is still around today. So wonderfully simple, but always challenging. Loved the riot of colours and chaos when the sticks were first thrown out in a pile. Some stayed off early, which was easy prey.

So there’s a few ‘stick-like’ shapes running this piece that really ropes the composition together. I used stickytape to cover points of interest, protecting it from the pending layer above. I also left broken sticks to dry in the thick oil washes which left subtle sunken lines. Random of course. 

In this piece I’m reminiscing about childhood and especially a life free of screens, because yes, you guessed it, there’s an app version of Pick Up Sticks.