A work in progress
I like painting "quirky" flowers. I admire the beautiful, realistic paintings that capture every petal, every leaf, every bud, but painting in that style is not for me. Give me a quirky, representational nod to flowers any day!
Now that I am a little clearer about the type of flower painting I like, I can now spend some time playing in that style. Do I stick only with acrylic paint? Do I add in some pen work or perhaps it will be coloured pencils ... ah, I love those decisions. My plan is to try them all. Paint, pens, pencils = hours of fun!
This particular painting isn't finished but I like it so far - it appeals to my sense of quirky. Now, I just need to find some time to get back to work on this one!
Transformation
The great flower experiment continues!
What a great way to spend time - pondering how to paint flowers in a way that appeal to my sense of whimsy. I have been experimenting with different ways of painting flowers - admittedly some paintings have been more successful that others!
This particular painting has morphed a few times - from orange-based neutrals to slightly reddish flowers to a complete transformation. :-)
I like the end painting. By no means perfect but definitely getting closer to a style that works for me. And so the great flower experiment continues!
Here are the three stages in that process:
One layer, two layers
I made a start on a new series of paintings today. Finished an initial background layer and also a second layer of contrasting colour. I am working on three paintings in this particular series. My intention, at least I keep saying this to myself, is to use the series to experiment with painting flowers.
The trouble is ... I simply cannot help but see lovely whimsical creatures in these under-paintings. I mean flowers are lovely but how do you resist the creatures who are just waiting to be revealed from within the colours?
Sigh, the underpainting, the splashing of colour is the easy part ... maybe I'll just paint a few more layers and then see where it leads ... it's lucky I don't need to be too preplanned ... I'd never put brush to board then!
Here are the three at the end of layer two:
Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't
Sometimes I am really happy with the way a painting comes together ... and sometimes I'm not! Today's painting just didn't really fall in to place. I could have spent longer with it and pushed it to a place that works but nah, this was an exercise on a practice sheet of canvas paper. It's done.
Really the note to self from this painting is to take more time working with the shape of the flower and giving myself a reminder to go back and get it right before I continue ... and also to remember that practice is practice and a painting that doesn't work is as good a teacher as one that came together.
I did like adding the pastels as an after drawing. That is something I think I will use again ... maybe. I like the look of overdrawing but I'm undecided about whether I like the pastels themselves. They are pretty but smudgy. I wonder if I can get coloured pencils to do the job instead? Hmmm ... more painting and experimenting and learning is in order!
Conversing
It is easy to let time just slip away and to get caught up in the busy-ness of the everyday. The last few weeks have been very busy - in a good way - with lots of family activities and commitments mixed in with work as well.
What I didn't;t do in that time is carve out some moments for creativity ... and I need creativity to keep me balanced. Thankfully, I got wiser and dug out my journal and just created. Maybe the guys in the painting are also pondering the joys of just stopping, contemplating and creating ... or maybe they are just chatting about sport!
This was a mixed media exercise - acrylic paints, India ink pens and coloured pencils.Super fun. I'm ready to do some more.
evolution
The best part about acrylic paint is being able to paint, walk away, look at the painting, roll your eyes and paint over what you just painted ... and repeat :-)
It is very rare that I start a painting with an end point in mind. I much prefer the creativity of finding the finished painting from what is already there. Sometimes that works brilliantly ... and sometimes it is an abject fail. So I paint again and again, enjoying the process and the evolution.
This painting is no exception. It is about at its mid-point I think. It is going somewhere but I don't know how it will end. Right at the moment I'm thinking it needs texture and some gel medium or molding paste ... or maybe glazing ... maybe ...
And with holidays comes painting
Woohoo! The school term has ended. That very long, very trying school term has finally come to a close. Admittedly I am still working but the stress level in the house has definitely stepped down a notch or two.
The weather is nice. The house is quiet ... it must be time to paint. I'm juggling work and family commitments so this might be a slow painting effort - but it was great to be able to get started on a new painting. I have an idea of where this is going but I am not entirely sure the execution will match the imagination. Ah, but that is half the fun! For now, I have finished with the underpainting ...
Fellows
Meet two strange, quirky fellows!
This painting took a little while to find itself - which in the end gave the painting a certain depth. I am fond of the two "fellows" and love how they emerged from the canvas.
This is only a small painting - 20cm x 20cm and it was an exercise in mixed media - acrylic paints, India ink and pencils.
Creature on the run
Ah yes. There is a strange creature with purple ears and a purple nose running away from a fairly stern looking group. Uhuh. That's what I saw when I started working on this painting. It's not finished yet. To be honest I'm not quite sure where I'm going with it. No matter. I have paint, pencils, pens and imagination - how can this be bad?
Maybe I should go back to slightly less imagined paintings? But where would the fun begin that? It's the challenge of seeing the images, the creatures, the people in the paintings that inspires my creativity ... or at least let's the world see inside my somewhat crazy head ;-)
A work in progress ...
Alrighty then ... I'm not sure what say about this painting ... except that it is a work progress. I have been challenging myself to paint whimsy using negative space as my guide. These two guys are a definitely different! Goodness knows what conversation they might be having ...
I still have a way to go before I can call this painting finished - it will be fun to see where it ends (at any rate, I think the lime green plume needs to stay!).