Category: Process Deep Dive

Week 28 Experiments

Experiments, Process Deep Dive

Monday, 29th May

No.53&55 – With these paintings, I was seeing what it is like to paint out some of the marks with black. These didn’t have the sea underpaintings, hence they are a little wooden. Still, I like aspects of both, like the knickers on 55, and the detailing on 53.

Tuesday, 30th May

No.54 (something went awry with the numbering) Just another experiment, trying different things.

Wednesday, 31st May

No.56-57 – I decided to take a break from the the green/figurative paintings. As I mentioned before, I’d like to develop these into landscapes. I am very inspired by the walks I have been taking in the Ayres this week, of which this type of painting is a product of. The idea etc., still has a way to go.

Thursday, 1st June

No.58-60 – these are experiments for another idea I have had, which includes interiors with patterned wallpaper. This idea is still at an early stage. As with the landscape paintings, these are a nice break from the figurative ones.

Friday, 2nd June

No.61 – here I tried the landscape type painting on canvas. I definitely think this kind of work could develop into something beautiful.

Sunday, 4th June

No.62-63 – back to the green/figurative paintings, which is a pleasure after having a wee break from them. Just trying different things. I’ve added phthalo green (blue shade) to these, and really like the results. The y also have sea-underpaintings, which makes them more dynamic. I came to the realisation this week, that if I want to paint bigger I have to draw bigger. So, for the paintings, I’m going to try painting particular aspects on a larger scale (such as the eye above). I am delighted with the amount of detail you can add when you paint bigger.

Week 27 experiments

Experiments, Process Deep Dive

Monday, 22nd May

No.42
No.43

No.42 – I started using a new technique – applying random marks on the paper, then spraying water on them, and letting the images emerge organically out of the marks, then painting into them. I love the results.

No.43 – I love this little painting.

Tuesday, 23rd May

No.44
No.45
No.46

No.44-46 – Some experiments using the same same technique on a lighter ground. I’ll keep experimenting with various ground colours, but so far I prefer the dark ground.

Wednesday, 24th May

No.47
No.48

No.47-48 – more experiments, with less and more drawing respectively. I feel there is quite a bit of scope for these paintings.

Thursday, 25th May

No.49
No.50

No.49-50 – these are heading more in the direction I want to go, its getting the balance between form and abstraction right. I love the palette of these.

Friday, 26th May

No.51

No.51 – This was my breakthrough piece this week. I love everything about it. I want to continue exploring this kind of painting, with the grand aim of scaling up.

Saturday, 27th May

No.52 – I thought I take a break from the figurative paintings this weekend, and instead explore this lace-bubble technique further, which is for a different project. The more opaque centre-right bubble was done with an a gel-pen drawing underneath, the rest were painted directly. I much prefer the latter. The aim of the experiment is to see what the lace-bubbles look like covering the entire surface of a painting. Unfortunately, the underpainting of this one isn’t very good, as I rushed it, and the paper doesn’t suit this kind of painting (which is much better suited to fine-grain canvas/linen), still, it will give me an idea of what the coverage looks like.

Week 26 Experiments

Experiments, Process Deep Dive

Monday, 15th May

No.26
No.27

No.26 – I really like this image, and think it would be a good way to paint Mrs Quick for the Thames flood painting. I like the idea of her having a young face behind a mask with a crone-like nose. I think I will also paint her with an old, gnarled hand, perhaps hanging over the bed.

No.27 – this is a sea painting. I like the dynamism the sea marks give the painting, and I love the eye.

Tuesday, 16th May

No.28
No.29

No.28 – I love this painting. It too has a dynamism from the sea that is typically absent from my paintings.

No.29 – I really like this one too. Again, it just emerged from the marks left by the sea. It is definitely a helpful starting point for the type of figurative paintings I want to do.

Wednesday, 17th May

No.30
No.31
No.32

No.30-32 – These weren’t sea paintings, but I did use quite a bit of water. Just little experiments.

Thursday, 18th May

No.33

No. 33 – I love this one. The sap-green paint doesn’t do well in the sea though.

Friday, 19th May

No.34

No.34 – I really like this one, especially the contraption. Again the sap-green went funny in the sea. I want to have phalluses in my figurative paintings, though not as explicit as this (more as a fertility symbol).

Sunday, 21 May

No.35
No.36

No.35-36 – Interestingly, these two are not sea paintings and, as such, have lost the dynamism of the others. I really like some elements of them, but they are a bit over-thought and rigid.

No.37

No.37 – I also painted this during the week. It is handy painting things like this when I loose the thread of the figurative paintings – which happens quite often. I’d like to keep developing this kind of work.