I started a painting back in October. It’s about 1m x 1 ½ m. So it’s one of the biggest paintings I’ve ever done. I decided that it was going to have many layers, that I would build up over time, at its current state it already has about 5-6 layers. The mediums that I have been using on this work are acrylic (watered down), inks, glitter and a lot of water.
A problem that has been raised when working on this painting is that due to the amount of water that I’m putting on the canvas, it becomes weighed down slightly which causes paint etc. to all flow in one direction, ending up in a puddle in the middle. Although this creates a good density of colour in the middle it leaves the edges a bit weak and you are able to still see the canvas in some areas.
So for now there’s not much I can do but persevere with applying paint to the edges only to try and build up the same quality of depth as the middle. But in future works, maybe I need to think about not making the canvas as wet, or working on flat canvas (unframed) on the floor, allowing the paint to gain more freedom.
Overall I’m really happy with how it looks at the moment. I wanted the amount of layers I have put on the canvas to create a sense of depth and I feel I have achieved that. The dark colours create an intense mystery and an almost eerie quality. I like that it reminds me of both the sea and space, both are places that we don’t fully understand.
And bear in mind, it’s not finished yet…
