I've realised that at least a couple of the images that I'm painting for this exhibition in May / June, REALLY need to be LARGE! When I've finished making the work for that, I AM going to indulge myself and make at least a couple of BIG paintings over the summer! I love painting big, as much as anything, because I want to create an environment rather than simply a wall of pretty paintings. I want to create an experience, one that involves the viewer not only visually, but emotionally and physically too. It's about creating something that the viewer can't hep but being involved with. That's the purpose of what I paint, to encourage an attachment and reaction to the landscape. It's as important to me as the physical exercise of painting!
Paint seems to be drying ok with this new medium, just have to wait for a week or so... hopefully, where the paint is thicker, it won't skin and wrinkle, if not the remaining 6 will be a lot easier and far less nerve racking! Feels really odd handling boards instead of canvas though!
And so an afternoon of painstakingly mixing colour has begun... The best pieces of advice l received, back in that heady first year, 20 years ago, at art school, were concerning colour; to only have a pallet of primary colors plus white (absolutely no black), how to mix grey using blue, red and yellow (adding white to lighten) and to add a tiny bit of red into greens. My pallet still only consists of primary colors plus burnt sienna and viridian green and although l do find mixing a tedious aspect of my practise as it takes so long, especially when faced with amount l now have to do in order to have a reasonable range of colours and tones with which to work, it is something that never fails to fascinate me and give me satisfaction. I still think it,s magick to make grey from blue, red and yellow!!!
I have always made my own Damar resin based glazing medium but last summer l was literally waiting months for paint to dry sufficiently before being able to begin working up the 5 canvases l had prepped. Spent since new year rotating as l can,t afford to have that happen again. Spent hours researching mediums on the internet, during which time l have learnt some valuable information and finally bought 2 different mediums to experiment with which promised to be quick drying, one by Gerstaecker and one by Jacksons. Prepped 2 boards with poured paint Tuesday.... the Gerstaecker is still totally wet but the Jacksons is completely dry..... HOORAY! Now l have to mix up a whole load of new colours using that medium into jars before l can get started but at least it does what it says on the tin and l can proceed with confidence. Relieved and happy
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December 2018
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