Last night I was experimenting on small scale with a painting of a close up textured photograph from the park. I started to paint onto a scraped grey background and then add pen detail on top. I was really pleased with the outcome so today I decided to work on a large board and begin with the same technique.
The watercolour did not quite take to the board the same as it does on the paper, however I did thin the paint out as much as possible to try and create a similar effect. The board currently looks quite flat. This was only my first layer and I am going to go back and try and add more texture into places showing washed out paint and thickly applied paint.
Over the past week I have been experimenting on a small scale. Looking at the portrayal of the park photographs and how I am depicting them. In many of the small experimentations I have used acrylic and watercolour, applying one on top of the other once the first layer was dry.
I have really enjoyed using the watercolour on top of the acrylic and would like to try this large scale. This however would not have the same effect on the large hardboard I am planning to use as it does on my small paper samples.
I am looking into either getting some strong quality paper to work onto, or whether to use paper as a texture on top of the wood. Both ideas I am still experimenting with as with using the wood I am able to take my paintings to a much larger scale.
I have recently been looking my holly wells park images, along with my tutor.
We separated them into groups of themes where I looked at more sculptural pieces, which I was less interested in, and then looked at a walking element where the pictures I have taken which have figural movement incorporated into them.
I then had two groups of photos which showed relevance to artists, Peter Doig and Anselm Keifer.
These groups depicted texture and reflection and this is something that I am interested in.
This activity helped me very much to view my photos. There was also a group of images which fell in the middle category.
Ideas for these included cutting up and looking at areas and close up sections on the hunt for inspiration.
My next steps include looking at the photos and experimenting on small scale before taking it further on a larger scale.
In relation to my dissertation topic delving into the works and artistic profiles of Hamish Fulton and Richard Long, my process is something that I am questioning and looking into. Hamish Fulton and Richard Long are very process driven and their work is produced in a very physical way, this is because of the involvement they have with the landscape.
Thinking deeply into process and ways of working I recently set out on a walk to Holly-wells, the local park. I took my camera to record a memory of what I was experiencing in the flesh. This was a personal journey and taking a picture when I chose to was my physical involvement with the landscape. (Similar to my inspiration).
My photos from the park seemed to have a varied theme. I have photos displaying both close up textured detail as well as finding myself stepping back and looking at the landscape as a whole. I am going to take the images into my studio and play around to see what approach is going to work well for me. I am also going to make repetitive trips to the park and different times at day to focus strongly on the light and effect the day time appears to have on the landscape.
These images are some current experimental works formed from the laying up of paints. They are all inspired by the natural environment in one way or another; however don’t all take the same theme. This is something that i am going to look into to create a series of work all which represent aspect of the natural world.
The layering of different paints in different ways is what currently keeps my practice fresh and exciting. I am always learning which paints work well together and the effective diverse outcomes they have.
The first image on the right, ‘Harwich Sunset’ was a piece inspired by a walk along the beach one tea time in my hometown. The colours in the sky were amazing and the image stuck with me. I had an urge to show it through paint. I took a photo to remind me of the sublime experience later in the studio.
The first layer on this piece of work was using a brown acrylic which represented the landscape. To apply this I used a roller which created the rough effect you can see at the bottom of the image. When this was dry I used the two predominant colours which stuck in my head from the moment I saw the sunset, these were pink and purple. I wanted to keep it simple and applied with a brush the two colours I had mixed. I then left this as I was happy and I thought it was a personal representation of my experience. Its textured simple appearance is what I think makes the work effective.
Lesson learned- sometimes less is more.
The second image represents a beach scene. To begin this process I photographed some images of the beach in Harwich and blurred out detail to really concentrate on colour and the land. I then used acrylic paint to begin to create the essence this beach scene gave off. This is a piece of work which I continually keep looking back at and adding to, which I think has taken away the positive effect it first had. I have now started to add corrugated cardboard on the piece and varnish over this to create a glossy outcome.
I am still wondering whether this is yet to be completed with further layers of paint.
