The past two weeks have seen me struggling with shapes: mainly curvy ones.
But first the finished versions of my collages from a few weeks ago. I like all the different shapes and marks but not 100% sure the composition is working for me. I like the touches of blue in the second one. These are in acrylic paint.
Fractured 1Fractures 2
Last time I showed the beginnings of two new larger works. My intention was to create a complex multi layer background of rich translucent colours then to use masks and stencils to build shapes and structure. These are half way there I think with 10 layers of paint so far. Each step jumping like into the unknown.
In the second one I have used a solvent to excavate the layers. My next step is to lay some random masks all over than add a thin layer of paint.
While the jury is still out on these in my Shapes series, two of the others are a bit of a mess but I may be able to finish them to my satisfaction. This one is 50 x 60 cm.
On a more joyful note I reworked an painting from 2020 called Spirit Song and am really loving the looseness and luminescence in the 50 cm painting. Not sure that the photo shows it to advantage though.
Spirit song emerged
My maquette exercise this week has been with the intention of creating interesting textures using only pthalo green and turquoise and black and white. The pthalo colours are transparent so you can build up glazes. I did this with acrylic paint because I started at the Bellerive Community Art centre group I attend on Friday mornings. Acrylic dries more quickly so is easier to transport. I continue to work on these and a couple of them I am happy with where they are going. I did decide to add some pthalo blue glaze and I think that had added more interest. Here are the six together(30cm squares) and a couple closer up.
So I am now wondering where to go next. I am still unresolved on my floral series. I want paintings that barely show a flower but show more the beauty and life energy in flowers. Whenever I start to paint too much detail and become representational I lose it. Maybe I will try another maquette series and see if that takes me where I want to go. It is funny with art, even if you have a good idea how you want something to look, you mind and body intervene. I guess the skill is in problem solving, to then bring what evolves closer to your intention.
Next week from 4-14 January is the Waterways exhibition at the long gallery. Don’t miss it or the two from my Oceans series.
