Reflection

I started by priming my canvas with gesso primer using a wide, flat brush and applying the primer horizontally from left to right, with an thin and even application. I selected the images I was going to work from- an overgrown wisteria plant hanging from a building in Tuscany, Italy. I used a range of different shape and sized brushes, some flat, wide and square and some round and narrow. The main artists that inspired this piece Joan Mitchell. Particularly her large scale, gestural paintings where she completely abstracts a scene down to its colours and the way it makes her feel. Her work is classified as abstract expressionist because she uses a lot of emotional expression through her painting.

what is going well and what isn’t going so well and why?

I think the colour choice (I executed my pallet using colour theory, I used complimentary colours- pinks with greens and purple with hints of yellow because I wanted the colours to be harmonious) and the layering went well but the piece looks very flat and I don’t think I left enough white space so that you can see the brushstrokes, as well as this it lacks depth. I think it could benefit from me adding some darker colours to create a tonal contrast between the bright colours. I intend to continue working on this piece to develop it, I will seek help/guidance from my tutors on how to improve this piece for my Crit.

What am I learning about materials and processes?

At the start, I was using no water with my brush and it wasn’t gliding nicely across the surface of the canvas, I started adding a bit of water which made the process a lot smoother as the paint was easier to apply to the canvas. applied the paint with movement-gestural brushstrokes and layered the paint in some areas. In used a combination of wet brush and dry brush techniques and in some parts thinned the paint with water until it dripped down the canvas. I mixed texture paste with paint and flicked/ slapped it onto the canvas in several areas to create a raw, textural appearance.

What will I do differently in future?

I will consider the space I am working with more carefully when it comes to application of paint and I will plan the colour choices so that there is more of a tonal contrast in my piece to add depth. I will consider using a different colour in the background other than white which may help it to appear less flat.

Part 2: fine art painting specialism

Part 2: fine art painting specialism

Painting project: scale and illusion- week 2

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