Gaye’s Studio News

A change of direction or not?

Episode 49

4 November 2021

Art activities have quietened a lot, the weather is warming, garden is blossoming and roses are emerging. So there is more time for reflection and review. I am still working behind the scenes on my new website and hoping to go live soon. The previews are looking great and I am so grateful to son Mathew for setting up the structure and his direction. This past few days has involved linking my images to my main selling platform the online gallery Bluethumb. I am always happy to sell direct to buyers on email too and may offer a discount in that case.

The past few weeks have disrupted the flow of my painting with helping set up a major local exhibition and packaging art work I have sold; hard work and tedious. I was feeling like a change in direction but which way? This was my last large work. Since then I have done a series of smaller 30 or 40cm ones. I love the energy and looseness of this

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The challenge

I played around with a number of ideas for a whole new series, extending my Shapes, Coastal, Floral series and perhaps bring more of the Bold expressions into those. I thought also of revisiting the multi layered oil and cold wax of a year or so ago. Sometimes ideas don’t lead to a firm intention as the media used has limitations and qualities that create issues.

So still going nowhere. I resolved to keep the momentum of the style of the past few months but to use different compositions and subjects. I am drawn to the larger format, over sized flowers and loose gestural mark making. I decided to extend myself and try a diptych; two paintings to be hung close together but with the option of them being individual paintings. This is the first pass.

What I really want to achieve is more like this one painted on a dark background. It is a very quick sketch.

Struggling with it. I step back across the room regularly to see how it looks.

I might try another couple of 60cm size, perhaps on dark backgrounds. I am limited to 5 big ones at a time on my walls and they are difficult to move around. Also they need to sit awhile to cure but to also allow time for reflection.

As a distraction and with the chance I might learn something new in applying principles of design, I did an exercise from online tutor Jenny Nelson. Sixteen small collages using a variety of plain and patterned painted paper using 5 tones from black to white. These were cut or torn up randomly then rearranged to create interesting compositions. I like how they look as a group from a distance but up close I feel there are two many hard edges. I played with the first one, modifying with black and white paint.

I will continue to play with these and see where they lead; maybe ‘up the garden path’ or into the compost bin. Who knows.