Artbymarion - Joy of Colour

After yesterday I wanted something to do that didn't involve going into the studio and using oils. I opened my studio window to air it, and moved upstairs with my acrylics.

It has been so long since I last used acrylics that I had to re-acquaint myself with them. I also found many of my acrylics had dried up after being neglected for so long, leaving me with only a few usable acrylics. I had no alazarin crimson and only a very bright ultramarine, a yellow and sap green and white. My normal acrylics are Winsor and Newton which are quite thick, but apart from the green, the rest were from a mixture of brands much more liquid. My initial idea was to use my palette knifes, but the paint was far too fluid. It was also very transparent. I gradually built up the layers and I can see the painting starting to emerge. I remember the maxim "The good thing about acrylics is that they dry fast. The bad thing is that they dry fast!". I ran out of light so could not finish.

A close-up

06 January 2015

Work in Progress - Water and Rocks Day 6, 30 paintings in 30 days

Work in Progress

Stream in Japan (working title)

24x30cm

I am posting a work in progress which I started yesterday and didn't manage to finish. I opened a new tube of titanium white from a different manufacturer. The oil in the paint was linseed oil and it was very oily. The smell was overpowering and I started to feel nauseous and a little breathy. Along with many artists, I'm not keen on turpentine and even odorless spirits so don't use these, but it is the first time linseed oil has had this effect. Does anyone else have a problem with linseed oil? I've just received my supplies delivery and I have a new tube of Winsor and Newton titanium white my usual paint, so I will be able to finish it today.

Anyway, back to the painting. This is a stream I came across in Japan as I was walking back to our apartment in Tokyo. It wasn't in a formal garden and I liked the way it was less manicured than the traditional gardens. Still needs a lot of work, and I've given it a larger support to do it justice. It is quite a complicated scene and I can already see that I need to simplyfy more.

05 January 2015

Gentle Stream - Water and Rocks Day 5, 30 paintings in 30 days

Gentle Stream Palette knife painting

18x24 cm Oil on canvas panel

This is a slightly larger than the previous ones, (approx 7x10"). It didn't take me long to revert to type!

This is a stream/river (when does a stream become a river?) near home and it looks very peaceful here. In summer, its a great place to cool off and for the kids to play. After a storm, or when the snows melt off the mountains, it becomes a raging torrent and access is often prohibited.

I blocked in the masses and was conscious of trying to maintain the values. I treated the rocks as solid masses and not individual stones. I am still always tempted to delineate to much and if only you could hear the voices in my head arguing, you'd have a good laugh. Once again, it is over-saturated when I upload it onto blogger. So IRL it is not quie as bright, especially the foreground rocks. I see a few areas that need some extra touches but on the whole, not too unhappy with this one.

Some close-ups

04 January 2015

Wave - Water and Rocks Day 4, 30 paintings in 30 days

The Wave palette knife painting

Oil on box canvas

15x20cm x 2cm deep (6"x8")
Day 4, Jan 2015 30 in 30