Karart Blog

After trying the gold leaf sheet on a small piece of canvas I cut it out to see what it would look like on the work. I didn’t work, because it drew the viewers attention away from the females face, it overpowered the rest of the composition so I painted over the face I had and painted in a reflection of the kimono’s feathers and background. I used the subtle colour shades or the background so that it would sit within the work not stand out.

Kathryn Raffell,2015, Acrylic on canvas, close up of 180cmx120cm work.

I am going to put this to one side now and see if it still works as a whole in a few days although I still think I need to add in some highlights and shading around the hand.

Well that was the plan but – I revisited the mirror and after repainting a reflective image of her dress in muted colours and added in some highlight white to signify light catching the mirror and now this is definitely the final, final finish to the mirror. When you step back your eye now travel around the canvas but instead of returning to the mirror the viewers attention within the composition is now the females face – done! I have wrapped the canvas to protect whilst I am prepping my degree show space, also so I don’t even think about doing any more to it (well at least until after the show).

Kathryn Raffell, 2015, Acrylic on canvas, close up of 180cmx120cm canvas.

Kathryn Raffell,2015,Acrylic on acetate sheet, 30cmx40cm

Working on the larger acetate sheet I sketched faces and then I have used a scapel on the first layer on the lighter areas of the face scratching them off, just leaving the opaque acetate showing.

I repeated this on to the darker painting and scratched away the areas on this one that would be highlighted if painted. It gives a very Picasso, angular shape to the face.

Kathryn Raffell,2015,Acrylic on acetate sheet, 30cmx40cm

I painted two more faces but this time I tried to lay down marks and shapes. Concentrating on brush strokes to suggest the faces structure and not complicate with detail. This is very difficult for me to do as I want to keep adding and adding in features and detail until the spontaneity of expression is totally gone.

Kathryn Raffell,2015,Both acrylic on acetate sheet, 30cmx40cm

From these expressive faces I have moved to trying this on something larger. I want to show my sketch book as part of my assessment work and need to think of how to display it. As the tables in the studio are not in the best of condition (having had paint etc spilt on the top by students) that I thought I would cut a large square of the acetate sheet and freehand something figurative that connects to the large canvases and here it is…..

Kathryn Raffell, 2015, Acrylic on acetate sheet, approx. 75cm sq.

As I want the top of the table smooth and not to scratch the painted surface, I turned over the sheet so that the painted side was underneath. Not sure I like the finish this way though. It is also difficult to add layers of paint if you view from this side as you have to paint the foreground down first and gradually add in and finish with the background and as I taped the sheet to the table top I couldn’t keep turning over to see the layers going on.

To move this work on I am making another similar size work and see how the last piece informs how I paint this one. To be cont’d.

I hung some of my smaller canvases on the white studio space wall to compare them and help me make a short list of which ones I might put into the show.

Kathryn Raffell,2015,all acrylic on canvas, all 40cmx50cm.

Some of these pieces were in a display hung on a dark grey wall which made me consider if I should change the colour of my show space to a similar one. It may make the space close in on itself though and most gallery spaces are painted white to make the most of the light and not detract from the work.

Kathryn Raffell,2015,all acrylic on canvas, all 40cmx50cm.

Before making a final decision I am going to paint the walls white, place the canvases in the space and see how the light affects them.

I have decided to display the bronze figure as part of my assessment pieces so I am going to make a plinth to stand it on. I have found some board at home to use and with help have cut it into pieces that will give me a plinth that is 1metre high x 20cm square top. I glued and screwed it together, used wooden blocks inside in the top and bottom corners to hold it square. I filled over the top of the screws and down the rough sides of the, now just the sanding and painting to go.

Kathryn Raffell, 2015, building wooden plinth, 100cmx20cm sq.

Just to top coats of paint to go, then I’ll see if its good enough to use!

Standing back and looking at the painting now that the mirror has been given the reflection of a face, and I am thinking perhaps it creates more attention than I want it to have. Tutor suggested that perhaps I should stick a real mirror onto the canvas so that the reflection is a true one of the viewers as they stand in front of the painting but I am thinking that perhaps I would like to try something else. I bought a kit of gold leaf sheets a long time ago so I want to experiment with adding that to give a reflective surface to the mirror.

I have primed a piece of canvas and am going to see how well I can add the gold leaf to that before I tackle the actual painting. I took photographs as I went along to document the process.

Kathryn Raffell, 2015, documenting the process of adding gold leaf onto canvas. 16cmx10cm.

This is very Gustav Klimt (b1862-d1918) who was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. In particular in the way he has added in gold onto his paintings, not that I am intending to adding as much gold onto my canvas (perhaps I might think about it in the future).

Gustav Klimt,  1907–1908,  The Kiss, 1.80m x 1.80m.