After what felt like many weeks but was in fact maybe two at most, I suddenly and unexpectedly started a painting on canvas the other day.
I had an image in my head of what it would look like; the kind that dances around in your brain and won’t leave you alone even when you’re trying to read something you really want to read.
In the end I had to put down the book and just go and paint the damn thing to get some peace! (I suppose this is good practice for having offspring…)
Of course it looks nothing like what was in my head, which was red by the way. Although some of the shapes are similar.
And I don’t know why all these images have curved corners (I have to resize them so I did it experimentally in a batch and this just happened), but I like it!
So my ingredients are oil pastels (my new best friends), acrylics and some wall paint. Oh and gesso.
The painting is entirely intuitive and intentionally abstract, although if you feel like reading leaves ~ or anything else ~ into it that’s fine!
I’m very interested in the idea of layers beneath the white which give it depth but don’t show as part of the painting. Like ghosts of an old painting perhaps, there but not there.
My good friend gesso helps me do this. There is a lot of white space in this painting; I think I just needed some quiet, although straight after I did the loudest, most vibrant painting ever so who knows what my subconscious is up to.
At this point I got a bit carried away with the orange; I do so love orange right now, but then after I did it I changed my mind about the quantity…
…some gesso and a piece of masking tape later, and it is finished for now.
I have to say, I think it works. It’s bold, straight forward, intense but handled sensitively so it doesn’t overwhelm. I think the White says more about the central element the that itself. It says to me ‘infinity’ like the central colours and marks are an powerful essence of some kind that dominates and wipes everything else away- I want to go with bodily functions like a pulse or nervous response. I definitely see the branches and organic feel you mentioned but it feels it’s become more architectural then that over time and seems more majestic. I’ll be interested to see where it takes you as the White reads well for me. If it was mine I would like to extend the sides of the canvas out and have this one long thin canvas but otherwise I’m stumped. I’m sure it will change dramatically for you 🙂
Wow, thanks Lianne. It’s really interesting to hear your thoughts, and how it looks to someone who isn’t me! I get to a point where I can’t ‘see’ my paintings anymore so it’s really helpful to hear another perspective.
Juicy! As soon as I saw the orange I thought “juicy”. The blue and the orange together make such a contrast and somehow come together. I did laugh at your description of having to put the book down to paint because the idea (the muse!) was so insistent! And yes, I would say that this is very much like having children!!
It’s beautiful! I love the color scheme and the simplicity of it. I really like how you show the process!