Sunday 19 November 2017

Urban boxes ( 3 )

Had a poor week in paint ! He ho. I think it's often what happens when you start a new project, in this case the urban boxes and it goes well initially. Then there's a swing the other way and I think it's because as artists we feel under pressure to produce a painting as good ( in your own judgement ) as the last ones. Mmmm. In a way as Artists we do put blocks in front of ourselves, often no one else puts them there. Mmm. To overcome a block maybe the last thing you should do is NO painting. But for some reason , it's easier not to go into the studio , or to go in and do nothing. Added into that this week , I was trying the Golden liquid acrylics and that seemed exciting but a little daunting.

I did try the acrylics but they didn't go well for me. I have toiled over these two pieces and will surely paint over them on another day. This piece was 6 inches by 12 inches. I had made a frame out of wood on the back and about 12 coats of gesso later tried a print start with the gelli pad and acrylic paint. Didn't work so well , so have had loads of goes at it with the fluid acrylics. The acrylic soaked right into the gesso, nothing like the paper.

Urban box no 7. Acrylic on board.


Urban box no 8 . Acrylic on board, 12 inches sq.


I started with random golden fluid and put down acrylics on top. This type of intuitive painting is , for me, about putting the paint down and watching for something to appear, preferably a mill or an urban scene.

What did I want from these ? ......shapes....feelings.....colours....memories...
How did I do.....ok
What did I like ? The shape and size of the pieces, the fact that they are finished pieces in their own right and don't have to be framed,the colours, some shapes.....
Where could I go next ? Continue with the fluid acrylics, make some more boxes, don't be too hard on myself....be a bit more definite about the shapes to include......

2 comments:

  1. I sympathise Tonie. I recognise that situation - a new series starts well, lots of excitement, then failure to produce the same effect with the next one, or the next. Yes, we are really hard on ourselves. We know that, logically, we can't achieve that success every time, BUT we expect to! Love your urban boxes and your blog. Thanks for your honesty in describing your process.

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    1. Thanks Mari. Your words are so true. I do use the blog as an online record / diary, it works for me. And it reminds me of the ups and downs of any decent body of work !

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