Paintings in Progress

Untitled
Oil on Canvas 160x120cms

Untitled
Oil on Canvas 160x120cms

Developing 'Absence'

                                                                                                                                                                                               Following the painting masterclass, I decided to go back to my painting with a new understanding of my medium. For me Oil paint is the most interesting medium, I love the way it can be pushed and pulled through colour, being able to manipulate the paint, to create movement with in the painting.

Using brushes of varied differences and a knife allows the paint to be spread in a variety of thicknesses and layers.  I have discovered a way which lets the paint attach itself to the colour below without moving the layer beneath. By twisting my brush during application, an interesting  movement of paint happens. When the brush is twisted it layers parts of the colour down without being totally brushed in. It allows the colour to be quite fluid and depending on how the brush is loaded it can spread colours together fluidly echoing each other.

Beginning of 'Absence'

The first layer applied to primed canvas.

First stage of painting complete.

After 2 weeks of  'Territories of Practice' I decided to start a painting which was about the absence of a person or a 'thing'. I have been looking at Cecily Browns paintings, I love the loose style, I am interested in some parts of the painting showing the space, or interior while mostly the abstract is predominant and the viewer needs to look and search for what the painting is about.

Oil Paint and Varnish

While painting I decided to experiment as I was applying paint to canvas I  poured thinners and liquin(medium) onto paper, I pushed the fluid liquid around, it became quite muddy looking. Not the effect I wanted! 

The paper is firstly coated in linseed oil, the washes of colour applied with linseed oil applied again. This caused the paint to flow  together,the thin lines at the edge of the paper is where the turpentine almost washes away the oil paint, the paper  is stained with paint but the oil collects across the paper. 

My Experiments

Ink and water on white oil paint 

Using ink on oil paint.

I tried using different tools to draw lines. Lines are very important to me, the process of line within my work is a recurring theme and often comes into my work subconsciously. Often the image I use to begin a painting is discarded for some time, then often when I think that perhaps I have lost what was once a painting about something, I then refer back to the image and at this point, line recovers something of what might be lost.

Panting Master Class

Masterclass by tim Johnson: Painters methods and materials.

Ingredients for rabbit skin glue!

How to make your own oil pastel!

Home made oil pastel.

Viridian pigment!

Glass muller for grinding pigment.

Sanded glass plate for grinding pigment.

Chalk ground/traditional gesso ground.

This ground is for acrylic or egg tempera paints, the texture makes oil paint appear chalky.  I find this base extremely seductive and i intend to try the process myself, I am interested in how this ground effects the painting and my work in general.

Ultramarine pigment.