Tags
birds, canvas, gel medium, ink, layers, newsprint, past, progression, rocks, shadows, stamp pad, thistles, tissue paper, unknotted, weaving
Well, a while ago, I mentioned that I was working on some new paintings, and I thought you may be interested in seeing some of the progression of them as they come along.
So, this first one will be called ‘the Sower’: It is based on a parable found in Matthew 13. Sometimes I hear a verse or a Bible passage, or a song and I just ‘see’ a picture in my mind! (haha, this can happen anywhere and at anytime and sometimes can be very distracting!) Then I just get totally excited and need to get the idea ‘out’ as soon as possible and at least somewhat down on a canvas or in a sketch book. All three of these are being done on canvas. In the background of the above picture you can see another painting that is still being worked on, it has different forms of water in it, waves, water falls, quiet water etc.
I always start out with the initial idea. These pics show the very beginning stages and the paintings themselves will likely change a lot before the final product is ready! There will be many, many layers added to and over this and often the final product hardly shows anything of the very beginning! But anyways, I knew I wanted this one to have a green underlay for the ‘growing’ background. I just squirted various greens and yellow onto the canvas and then used a brayer to spread them around. The brayer gives that sort of textured look that I wanted for the base. The sun is in there for now, but it may be changing. We shall see!
I’ve started layering on the area where the seed fell along the path and the birds ate it up. I used gel medium to first attach a layer of burlap and pulled bits of string. This gave a neat texture. I rubbed some paint into it to add depth and then I used a very old newsprint to make the birds. I have used the newsprint on this one without photocopying because I feel there is something really neat in having the original paper embedded in there and it has a wonderfully warm color as well. I sketched the birds onto the newsprint and then cut them out and using a stamp pad, rubbed the ink along the edges to make them darker. The path is covered with a beige tissue paper ripped into pieces, glued down with gel medium and then paint is rubbed into the creases.
I’ve started the area where the seed fell amongst the rock. I used pictures that I took in our back field along the fence rows where rocks have been piled up. I will be painting over and around them with some of them still peaking out. I also took a few photo’s of thistles, I have put some of them in, but also made thistle leaves using the newspapers and some ink. Now I have to decide what to do next. I know I want to show some sprouts coming up amongst the rock and wilting, also maybe some parched land with some sprouts coming up between, showing roots going down below. haha, this is all in my head, so somehow I have to get it out and onto the canvas and then figure out how to show the healthy plants! stay tuned………..
The next painting I’m working on, only has a background so far. I think I am going to call it ‘unknotted’ . Not quite sure where or how it is going yet, but I had fun with the background. I think I will be cutting a piece out of this canvas and adding an insert of some sort with a weaving going across it. And a big knot somewhere and a loose knot and a straight piece of string.
This is very preliminary. There will be many layers to come on this one yet!!
And the last one I am working on is ‘shadows‘. I have the idea of people and their shadows in which will be their past and their childhoods. I want to show the overcoming of childhood hurts and insecurities. All I know for sure with this one is that I want it to be all shades of whites and creams with the odd hit of color.
So, stay tuned! I’m looking forward to adding to all of these to the website eventually (hopefully, early in the new year)! Maybe I will do another blog on them when they are about half way done, so that you can see how the layers and ideas progress and change as I go along. It is always fun to start a new piece. It’s also nice to have more than one on the go, because if I am ‘blocked’ on one, I can always work on another for a bit or if one needs to dry, the other is there waiting.
Well, maybe I should get in the ‘studio’ and get to work! Stay posted……….