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.

Colour and Shapes from Liverpool

Painting without white

'Absence' Painting

Developing flat areas of colour: 

The more layers I apply the deeper and richer the colour becomes and the painting becomes more alive. Areas of the painting are quite busy and loaded with colour and line. The area of flat colour creates space with in the painting and the viewers eye falls towards the flat spaces looking for a line or detail which may give an explanation of  the painting.

"Absence" Oil on Canvas 160x120cms

Detail of 'Absence'

Detail of 'Absence'

Detail of 'Absence'

Detail of 'Absence'
Varied brush marks and space send the viewers eye searching the space with in the painting, trying to figure out what it is about. For me the movement, space and vibrant colours draw me to figure out what is happening in the work.

More Experiments

I layered varnish and acrylic paint beneath which was a thin wash of blue acrylic paint.

The rejection of paint from the varnish forces the paint to break up into miniature rivers which branch off in all directions. I am interested in attempting to create this on canvas.

Washes of oil paint and varnish.

In places the varnish and oil mix, this tends to happen when the thickness  is the same.

The thinness of the mediums allows the texture of the paper to come through the paint.

Thinned Dripping Oil Painting

I am interested in letting the paint find its own way across the canvas. By manipulating the canvas and moving it around I am forcing the paint to travel in one direction but have no control to what actually the finished image will be.

    

In the image above heavy thick line sits next to watery thinned paint, I like the translucent next to the solid thick heavy line. This contrast in the weight of paint and therefore the difference in application is interesting to me, I definitely like to see contrast in the thickness of application. Perhaps I should now experiment with leaving part of the canvas bare.