New painting alert you guys!
I have a lot of ideas lately even if many of them either don’t make it to reality or start off looking one way, and end up… somewhere else.
I remain eclectically driven, shall we say. Some days I want to paint in, say, soft blue and white, with a faded, vintage look; other days I want to do punchy shapes and colours.
Sometimes I want to paint people, sometimes abstract. Maybe I am just a body that houses many artists, all with wildly differing tastes! Certainly keeps things interesting.
{Can we just take a moment to enjoy the delicious thick layer of gesso above please. I heart gesso.}
This painting was always going in a red direction. I specifically chose red and yellow papers ~ some are backgrounds I made, some bought papers ~ and I was most definitely in a red mood when I started. I also like my collage pieces square, even though circles have my heart forever.
See what I mean? I got right in there with several shades of red and yellow acrylic, plus my beloved oil pastels. I actually can’t remember now what I had in mind but there was definitely something planned to go across the centre.
And then I spotted this:
Specifically, the shape that looks like the figure of a man staring at the ground deep in contemplation. It was showing through from one of the collaged pieces. So I gave him a tree to stand under, and then the lines started growing.
I reeeeeeeally enjoyed doing the colouring in with the oil pastels. Also you can’t tell from my appalling photography but I went in with my blade and scraped away some; when you look up close the textures are scrummy.
I turned it on its side to check the balance of colours and bubbles. {It’s all very professional round here you know.}
It’s definitely the kind of painting you want to get your nose right up against to really get the full benefit. 🙂 So by this stage {below} I was pleased, but we’re talking several days later and my need for red had passed. So now it was jarring.
I toyed with a few really crap ideas before deciding to keep it warm but tone it down. I guess my root chakra was pretty full that day! But my sacral was obviously needing some topping up. 😉
I went in with the Naples and Diarylide yellows. My two fave yellows, in case you were wondering.
This felt better. I liked it. It just needed some finessing, or ‘frosting’ as Flora Bowley calls it. And as ever, I may yet add more. {Sometimes I wonder if I say that just to keep my options open. I think I’m going to stop saying it, even though we all know I’ll be thinking it. 😉 }
Anyway, turns out all it wanted was some definition round the edges, and voila!
Hi Tara – Love how the painting has ended up – but also really enjoyed seeing the stages you went through to get it there.
This is a fantastic piece and I loved seeing your process! As always you leave me inspired and wanting to go start a painting of my own! xx
Hi Tara, I followed you over from CED and am so glad I did.
I really like this collaged piece and appreciate the step by step.
xoxo
This is such a helpful and inspirational post – showing your creative process was so interesting and I just love the final product = though I also loved some of the interim steps and might have stopped there if it was me. But then I wouldn’t have achieved the great final piece that you did. I just found your site from Creative Every Day and look forward to following your ongoing artistic efforts!
Ooh I LOVE the finished product. Gorgeous. And I love posts that show the artist’s process, so thank you for that!
I love this Tara! It is so fun to see how you progress. I like how the red one day was what you needed but later was jarring. I’m the same way with color. I would love to hear more about how you incorporate the oil pastels. And I must go buy some gesso! I have never attached paper to my paintings. Yet. But I must, now.
Very scrummy indeed!! I LOVE the RED but the yellow balances it all out. Wish I could get my nose up against it – the texture looks really interesting. Looks a biggy too!
Tara, love the direction of your work lately…you seem to be developing a new style, what do you think? And I absolutely love the yellow/red combo!
Love the painting and reading about your process ~ makes me want to get back into painting an abstract painting again ~ thanks for sharing ~ namaste, Carol ^_^ (Share the Creative Journey and A Creative Harbor) linked with Creative Everyday ~
Hi everyone, I just wanted to say thank you all so much for the great feedback on this painting. And also hi and welcome to Vicki, Carol and Terrie – so nice to meet you here and thank you for visiting! 🙂
Tara, I love this painting, and I too LOVE seeing and hearing about your process step by step. These process posts are endlessly fascinating to me, and I’m thinking I need to get my mom reading your blog–she’s always kind of wanted to paint, but is sort of mystified about how to go about starting. My take? Just start! But it might be really helpful to her to read about your process. Also, I’m *totally* going to buy a painting from you someday. (Once I’m settled in my own home again–a home with plenty of room for select international guests. 😉 ) I love your work.
oh my gosh this piece is so ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!!!!
wow.
I love following the progression.
when I got to the second last photo, I got tingles/goosebumps on my entire body!
and then got even more wowed with the final photo.
You’re work moves me. Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into sharing the process, taking the pics, uploading, editing, writing and posting! It’s so much work and I love it 🙂
I loved seeing your process. Beautiful. Terah
Your painting is gorgeous! It’s so great to see the steps in your painting process. I don’t paint very often, and get really intimidated about how to start. I love seeing how many different looks your painting has on the way to the finished painting. Thanks so much for sharing your before pictures!
Wow more comments! Thank you all so much. Terah and Jen, thank you for stopping by and taking time to comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂
I really enjoyed seeing your intuitive process… and how it turned out – all that warmth still with the yellow and the blue just pops
Love the colors in this! And I love that you showed the progression–I have always wondered how these layered/collaged paintings take shape.
Genious! And delicious too. Love the transitions in pics.