I started this painting early last week and thought I would try and document myself painting it for you to see. On Instagram, I often see artists posting a quick video that shows them creating. For me this painting did not happen quickly. I worked on it a few hours a day for an an entire week. I finished it last night before my husband & I went out on a date. An hour before this, I still wasn't happy with the final piece. As an artist I spend a lot of time just looking at a painting. Paintings move from my studio in the basement up to our living room where I can pass by them hung on the wall. This allows me to see what sections I think are working & where improvements could be made. This post is full of photos, I hope you enjoy seeing how I work.
When I started making marks I thought it was going to turn into an abstract landscape. I had never done one before & was looking forward to it.
I started to create layers with shades of blue, mimicking water & movement.
I added more green & blue paint, let it dry & then had fun with various shades of spray paint. I used white, dark green, pink & royal blue. At this point I really liked what direction the painting was headed.
My palette knife was used a lot adding white, teal green & a moss green. I started to think the painting was appearing like a satellite view on the weather network. Not the kind of landscape I was going for!
I began to add more white paint thinking I could transform it somehow.
After the white dried, I continued to use my palette knife & layer on grey & royal blue.
This day was a breakthrough for me as I approached the painting with a fresh set of eyes. I decided I would go for it & cover up lots of sections with mint green. Sometimes this is hard to do for me as I already have a favourite part of the painting. I really like the dark green drips from the spray paint & didn't want to cover them. Guess what? They are now gone & I'm ok with it!
This is a detail shot. For me taking off layers off the paint after I have added them is an important process. The texture created in the blue shapes on the left allows you to see this. I use a damp rag & rub off paint before it is fully dry.
Another detail shot. I asked my husband what he thought of it so far, he said he could see the Chesire Cat. I decided at this point to title the painting "Wonderland". I often name my paintings after titles of songs I was listening to while creating them. This name just felt right. My oldest daughter came & sat behind me as I painted. Her thoughts were "Wow mom...you really like green". I said to her "Is that a bad thing?" Her reply was "Yes".
I brought the painting up to our bedroom & stared at it while folding laundry. I had tried several times before to flip it upside down to see if I preferred it better this way. Today I decided I did. The small pink squares on the bottom are not heavy & I was feeling the composition now. I was excited to go back & work on it more, now that I had a new perspective.
Sorry this one's a bit blurry. I have now began to tone down some of the mint green with white. This really excites me & I know that the piece is almost complete!
A detail of the finished piece. I love the bits of yellow that mixed with pink to make a lovely shade of orange. I have always been drawn to circles & squares, you will find some amongst the shapes in this painting.
The final painting "Wonderland" 20x20" Mixed Media on Canvas. Sold.