Old into new ... finished except for varnish

Acrylic portrait on crinkled tissue paper on canvas. Image source - my own photograph shown below.

Old into New - Take 6. And still refining!!

Old into new - Take 5, refining and defining!

Old into new - Take 4, Defining darks and lights

Old into new --- Take 3, Roughly Sketched In

Old into new ..... take 2

A coat of white gesso rollered over the whole painting gives a nice surface to work on, bumps and all!  

Detail from above showing texture

New from old Experiment .... Phase One

Don't know about you but I sometimes get to a point with a painting when I really don't like it at whatever stage its reached at the time, and I know deep down that I am never EVER going to like it whatever I do! 

Well I got to that stage recently with an acrylic of mine and today I decided to let it "morph" into something else. Of course, it is not going to do anything without a little help from me so this morning I got it started on its journey to find it's different self.

First step is done ............ a coating of binder medium, followed by a lovely squishy session of pressing crumpled tissue paper on to the wet surface. Once it is all nicely dry the next job will be to apply a base coat. Don't know yet what that will be ....... paint, gesso or a mix of the two. Will have a think.

Change of mind!

After a lot more thought I have been continuing to work on this latest abstract. This time I am really pleased with the result, and I'm happier with the new title too.

Arpeggio

(acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 inches)

Still on my easel!

and still working on it ..... will it ever come right?

On my easel .............

New acrylic on 36" x 24" canvas, begun today ......................

SPEED on a Sunday Afternoon!

Today, having finished some "office stuff " on the computer, I settled down to some serious Sunday afternoon escapism ..... videos of other artists at work!! As people and faces are my most favourite things to paint I was drawn to tasting the delights of some very SPEEDY painters at work ....



Agnes Cecile - painting 'One in a thousand'

Voka - painting 'Marilyn Monroe'

Takeshi Sato - painting 'Live Paint Act - Dancer'

Just loved watching them!! Hope you will too.

Freddie - a kind of magic!

Otago Art Society is calling for entries into a Members Exhibition with the subject 'portraits'. Entries must be in by 4th June. I thought it might be fun to do a portrait of someone famous and settled on Freddie Mercury, one of my all-time favourites! I didn't leave myself much time so its on quite a small canvas .... but I think its just about finished except for a few tiny touches and some varnish.

'Freddie - a kind of magic'

Acrylic on canvas (12" x 12")

April ..... scuppered!!

Well that's it ............. after 3 days struggle I have given up on this idea!!!! Did not matter what I tried nothing seemed right, and the painting just would not come together.  


I have just finished wheeling the roller and covering it all with gesso.


So once again there is a pristine white canvas, 36" x 48", staring reproachfully at me from my easel !!!!!!!!!!!


Ah me, it's back to the drawing board ............................

April - new painting in transition!

Cannot seem to get this painting going in any sensible direction  ............... so I'm giving up for today!  This is the revision of the revision ..... I'll have another go tomorrow. 

April: new work in progress - early stages

Using rollers, sponges, scrapers and brushes with acrylics, acrylic medium and gesso .................. its fun to experiment!!  

whatever next?

A lovely fresh white canvas has been sat on my easel for a week while I procrastinated over getting started ....................... well, now I have!

I have a whole day tomorrow to devote to this painting ....... but what to do next is the vexing question! Lots of thinking to be done this evening I feel.