Moving into greys.......

The interest in horizons didn't continue from last week. That's how it goes ! I think I am onto a new muse but it fizzles out if it's not strong enough. So, I painted with thoughts of moving out of tonalist paintings and into horizons and what came out was a return to an interest in greys. Greys are a recurring theme, particularly in winter....the light does affect the colours that I use instinctively and I am ok with that. If not, I have alight box......that works and makes the colours I use more colourful.

I used a painting from last week that I hadn't really liked. Not liking them much at all at the moment....not really worried about that, I go though phases and I know that if I don't like it initially it might well be one that I love when I have left it propped up in the studio for a couple of weeks. We will see.

I am thinking about continuing the series of poem lines....so with notebook at the side of the painting, I caught the words....
It's the push and pull of the landscape/ paint
The landscape and the paint become one
An orange burst of foliage
It seems about texture
Where is winter ?
Sunny, georgeous
Where to go
Sometimes I am only interested in the top line
I don't think of light, only paint
It becomes light after time
Hesitance, hesitancy, hesitancy, burst of confidence, hesitancy, hesitancy, but post if confidence recurring

It becomes light after time.....33 inches square, acrylic on board

Critiquing the piece...

First I look at the completed painting and ask myself what words come to mind when I look at the piece......grey, light, my landscape, calm, still.......unfinished ( interesting )

Will return to the paint later this afternoon, .......life gets in the way of the paint sometimes.........

This is this afternoons effort. Charcoal and white chalk on canvas.....It took me a while to get into it....the charcoal is very different to the paint....obviously....but I added water to make a wash and then returned to the wet work with the dark, compressed charcoal. I sprayed the work with water and wiped out the , ' light.' Not sure how to fix it on canvas yet.....looked at artist Michael Wann...georgeous stuff, Sue Bryan also georgeous. Mmmm. I think I could get there if I did a series of them but am I motivated to do that ? Try on paper tomorrow.....

Moving into horizons

Up and down week in the Art.....still loving the warm darks that I have created in the tonalist paintings..... Had a lovely paint in the Art group on Wednesday, finger painted robins and we had such a laugh!!! The robins came out with their own attitudes / personalities/ stories....it was unbelievable.....we are going to continue with finger painting next week...landscapes this time....can't wait....

This was my Northern robin !  I love it .....painted over an old painting...it just came to life....it looks as though it's fed up and has a long way to go, trudging through the landscape....ha ha

Today's paint was a little bit of an epic....even though I was trying to create it instantly....I know I have a thing about wanting to create in one sitting....I don't like a conflict of mood in anyone's paintings so I don't generally like working back into a piece in any massive way....that doesn't stop me from repainting older works....and certainly in that instance, I like the input of over painting an unrelated underpainting as I like this one today....love the colours....whatever they were....

It's very dark in this corner of the studio, but often I do like to create paintings in front of others that I want my current piece to relate to ....have to just be on alert with a cloth to wipe off straying paint !

Over the other side of the studio.....made me think of horizons....I like a horizon....and often create them instinctively.Mmmm can feel a little research coming on ........

This one above and these below are winters landscape studies...just trying them out....painted over unrelated underpaintings....loving them at the moment.....media...all my acrylics that I used for the big one plus acrylic white ink and sepia ink.....just playing in paint whilst thinking wintery landscapes. .... Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't !

Moving out of tonalist landscapes

Had a fed up week in art...it happens.....no reason....just lost my way......go back to plan and be clear about what it is I want from the art.....at the moment....

Painted over two 33 inch boards.....liked them a little better...TODAY....May be the opposite tomorrow ! Do think I have learned from doing the tonalist studies....seem to be more aware of the tones and looked at both of these paintings this morning and immediately thought I needed more lights and darks.....didn't take a photo of them before though....

The dark is a dark purple I mixed. I love that...

This one hasn't got enough of a landscape feel to it yet....feels too abstract , not an abstracted landscape.....

Considering my mood, my painting was never going to fill me with joy today....try later.....what can I do ? 

Mix some new colours

Just put colour down

Try two smaller ones for the Art lounge...good idea....

Altered the display in the Art lounge to include four of the newer ones with four older Dailies. It's dark but there is a warmth to it. 

Below are this weeks tonalist studies, 15 cm sq. Sumi ink over acrylic paint.

Tonalist landscapes 5

Carried on looking at tonalism this week. Have done loads of studies, 15 cm sq. Doing the studies helps me get into a tonalist mindset....well that was the aim anyway. Loved the paint, loved the charcoal in the end ( hated it at first) Too many to record here....it would be boring !

Below are the charcoal ones....I set off using willow charcoal, much prefer that colour, but couldn't get it dark enough.....so ended up with the very black compressed charcoal.way messy ! I liked them better when I used graphite in the mix.....

Below was today's painting.Phew ! 33 inches square. Reserving judgement on this one until tomorrow !