Got some photos done of recently finished work. This painting was begun years ago, and has been almost ‘to hell and back’. There are so many versions buried in the paint! If you look at the image sideways, you might spot that the front of the headdress used to be a pair of small standing figures…
Made myself get on with the acrylic monochrome work, for the ‘Alice Adrift’ project. Not feeling at all energetic to start with, but booted myself into action with REM’s ‘Orange Crush’ – it’s such an upbeat song, a quick blast usually does the trick, and it did today.
Acrylics behave so differently from oils. Fascinating, but sometimes maddening! I worked on three A0 pieces, two of which had already been started (and in fact I believed them finished, at the time…). But how do I use acrylics? – I’ve no idea. Of course, the not-knowing is exciting and sparky, as I have to remind myself periodically. Take oil paint: beginner painters often believe there’s a formula out there somewhere about how to use it. I’m with James Elkins on this one: I really don’t believe the formula exists (apart from basic rules such as protecting the canvas from the oil if you want it to last). Look carefully at most great painters’ work – many of the so-called rules of oil painting are being broken again and again. This reinvention aspect of painting is part of what I find so compelling.
I wasn’t planning to blog today, but my husband has gone out with (inadvertently) both sets of studio keys in his pocket, which means I am locked out of the studio until he returns… frustrating! It’s particularly maddening today because things have been so productive lately, painting-wise, and I really want to just get on with working (on oil painting, rather than the acrylic monochrome on paper that I feel I really ‘ought’ to be getting on with, but that’s another story…)
The new canvases are still not unwrapped, because I have been seeing all sorts of ways forward with various unfinished but much-worked-on canvases that have been sitting in the studio. I think that’s the most satisfying part of the painting process. It’s the point where you seize things and breathe – no, beat – new life into something that was verging on being stuck. Often it fails, but when it works it’s thrilling.
One thing that I’ve been turning to my advantage, to my surprise, is the slowly drying paint in my tin of Flake White. I had been feeling annoyed at the fact that the paint in the tin (as opposed to the tubes I normally use) was hardening and forming unusable clumps. (Which it is). But there’s a point in-between softness and clumpiness that’s really exciting to use. Yet again it all comes down to White… (see post number 1 of this blog for more thoughts on White).
The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts is currently showing an exhibition based on ‘the artist’s studio’ and has invited artists across East Anglia to upload photos of their studios to a flikr photo stream. I think this is a really nice idea (except, why restrict yourself to East Anglia?). So I took a few snaps and uploaded them today. See all the photos on http://www.flickr.com/groups/sainsburycentrestudio.
Fifteen stretched canvases arrived today! I want to spread them around me and glory in the sense of promise they hold (if I was a dog I’d be rolling in them like fox poo). I want to sluice oil paint around and twist the brushes and rags across it and immerse myself in slicks of colour. And what did I tell myself yesterday: must do more monochrome on paper….! What to do… I think a bit of both.
Also: I feel so excited and flattered – one of my art heroes has read my blog, and he likes it! (And he said nice things about my work too). James Elkins is the author of my favourite book on painting: ‘What Painting Is’. It’s really worth a read if you’re a painter, or if you want to understand painters.
Emma Cameron grew up in the Scottish Highlands, studied Fine Art in London first at Camberwell School of Art and then at Central St Martins, and now lives in Essex. She has had ten solo exhibitions to date. Visit www.emmacameron.com for more details. Emma is also an Integrative Arts Psychotherapist (UKCP registered) and works in private practice in London and Colchester.