An Acrylic Painting in Progress: Ideas and Insights

'The Deluge,' stage 1, acrylic on canvas, 70 x 50 cm

As a second post today I'm posting another canvas I'm currently working on. I began from marks (above) which were not planned but I had been thinking about the chaos and sadness of the world, in particular the explosions over Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. I wanted to paint about a deluge but with light appearing over the distant mountains. Rivers, waterfalls and mountains often are a source of material for me though I tend to use them partly as metaphors for human existence or as shapes to build an idea upon.

In the second stage, below, I have begun tweaking elements and introducing more light. While the other painting, 'Coastal Poem,' posted earlier today, went through many changes before I began to find a form for my ideas, (and the ideas evolved while painting), this one seemed to take on a form quite early on and I have not strayed too far from that composition. I decided to modulate the tones and brightness of certain colours to see if it helped the meaning and composition and consequently the painting has become brighter. 

When I paint I like to think about the sources of my ideas and mark making. I don't want to know too much or else it could become a formula, but I'm always sifting through and trying to widen my approaches, while concentrating also on paint itself and what magic it can create. 

'The Deluge,' stage 2, acrylic on canvas, 70 x 50 cm

To be continued!

How I start a Painting; A Painting in Progress

'The Sound of the Waterfall Woke Me,' acrylic on canvas, 80 x 60 - STAGE ONE.

One of my ongoing themes is Waterfalls. I am painting this theme using several processes and with a focus on colour.  I have always liked tall vertical canvas shapes (as well as long horizontals) which allow you to explore the possibilities of conveying a sense of movement through colour and shapes. With this particular canvas I began with the 'drips' of water running down the canvas and a neutral, dark brown background. I built shapes in to the rivulets all the time thinking about sounds of water and water falling across rocks. 

My composition was also based on the unexpected sight of the waterfalls running down the mountains in Beigou, China, when I arrived sleepily early one morning in August 2016. I set myself a task: to combine verticals, shapes, movement and mark making with the starting point of this memory.

STAGE TWO

The painting, (stage two above) threw up lots of questions about how to accommodate these disparate shapes and colours into an image with both space and movement. I have to think about what kind of space I want and where my priorities lie; do I want abstraction and how much, or am I going to include landscape forms? I realised as I painted today that I want a layering of abstraction and calligraphy with a suggestion of place, though place is not so important as the image working correctly in its own terms. I had to add some yellow-green at the top, to open out the top of the canvas and give an illusion of 'sky,' and spatially it does help. I also set back some of the calligraphic marks, erased some, and simplified some of the edges of the painting. However, it is still bothering me and will need quite a bit more work to sort both the space and the composition which I feel does not yet gel. Parts may need lightening or erasing; I may need to take out parts I like in order to create that marriage of colour, calligraphy and abstraction. 

Some parts in stage one may even need to be re-established in stage two - which is why it is good to have photos of previous stages! (I'm thinking especially of the crimson colour on the middle right side of the painting which seems to be necessary now.)

Questions which are on my mind: how far do I want to flatten the space and simplify certain abstract elements? Do I need to darken or lighten colours? Do I need to focus so much on the illustrational, rock-like elements or are they just holding up the composition? (Though some darks seem to be needed). Could I express the idea of the waterfall in a simpler way?

I chose to post a painting that I'm having problems with because often we tend to see only finished work which makes the artist's job looks as if there was no wrestling with the image when the truth is that no artist finds resolution easy. Also, I wanted to show how a painting at a difficult stage with suggestions of how it might proceed. Many of my artist friends also take their paintings through several stages and my best work often comes out of the 'mess' and doubts.  

To be continued!

How I Begin a Painting: Some Tips and Ideas

'Chinese Landscape,' acrylic and ink on canvas, 80 x 40 cm

How do you begin a painting? As an artist I'm always curious to know how other artists approach a blank canvas; do they have a specific idea of the composition and image they want to paint or is the theme and approach flexible? It seems to me that this doorway into a painting is something that many artists find through trial and error though some have a clear path from college as to the kind of painting they feel an affinity with. Some of my art college friends like to work from sketches made in the landscape or from photos, or directly from the figure, and with a clear, figurative approach. Some other friends start from the paint and the idea or image evolves through their relationship with colours and shapes as they emerge. Some need to make numerous sketches to plan out a composition in advance and then draw in the elements before they begin to paint. Others may start from a line in a poem or memory, or work out abstract compositions in drawings before touching a paint brush. 

One thing is for sure; you never stop learning! I follow artists whose approach varied throughout their life as their need for particular elements broadened and changed or more questions about the nature of painting appeared along their journey. I think this is true of all artists though especially with abstract artists there is a need to follow a path to discover the language and poetry of paint. The more you paint, the more its potential speaks to you.

The posted painting shows one of my approaches. This was painted to commission so the brief was fairly specific but still allowed me room to improvise, which is one of the aspects of painting that I enjoy. The client said: it must fit with my Chinese cabinet (which was quite ornate); it should feature Chinese elements; animals and houses would be nice. Then we agreed on mountains and waterfalls. The great thing with digital technology and smart phones in particular is that you can send photos of the painting as you progress, and she was happy with all stages from the start. 

Though I was working to a brief I began the painting as I begin most of my work, with thin layers of colour and fluid paint in order to find shadowy forms that could then take life. I like to let the paint suggest imagery though I don't always work that way; sometimes I have a specific memory I want to translate  - painting, for me, is always my translation of the world around me - and I may have an idea of the kind of composition I need. Over time, certain elements (shape, colour, brush strokes) may take priority and this influences how the painting looks.

I love those early washes and marks but often they have to disappear under stronger more meaningful elements for the image to have clarity. I worked this painting in the same way I work with ink on rice paper; it had to have a certain spontaneity while also suggesting a sense of moving upwards (and downwards) and I liked the idea of a yellow sky - yellow in China conveys the idea of royalty or something special - and the tree on the top peak was painted as a feature to stop the viewer's eye.

In my next post I will be adding photos of a new work in progress to give an idea of how I begin a new painting. This will be painted from the title 'Vestiges of Things That Have Gone.' I don't often start from a title (most times I title the painting once it is finished though there may be a particular theme), but I have a pressing reason for this painting which I will write about next time.

There's no right or wrong, your approach is whatever allows you to convey your idea. Any artists reading this, feel free to leave comments on how you face a blank canvas.