When beginning a new painting, I usually have an element or several elements that I know will be incorporated into the work. The painting's concept usually arises when my mind is still enough to receive it. As I am preparing the piece- measuring, cutting, stretching, sizing- other parts of the painting may come into focus. There have been occasions where I had just one or two elements in mind before my brush hit the canvas. During the process of painting, it is as if the narrative writes itself. Other pieces of the story emerge as I am painting or gazing on the scene.
Yesterday I showed you how I began this piece as a rough draft under painting. The elements you saw in this basic sketch were the ones I had when I began. I did not think that the scene was complete, but began painting the story as it was at that point.
(double click on an image to see larger view)
I then began blocking in the shapes from my simple palette and 'realized' that the figure is clothed in this story. As this new part emerges, I ponder the statement, "I wonder what she is wearing." I then 'see' that it is a gown, possibly a wedding gown. As this gets blocked in, I 'notice' that the shoulder strap is falling down on the near side and, "oh, the back is open." 
It is a similar process when uncovering a color theme and locating the source of light in the story. In this second photo I am continuing to layer on color, develop the form, and locate shadows.
More has emerged since this last photo was taken. Tomorrow I want to talk more about the mind and the creative process. And in the post after that I will come back to this painting and show you what happened next.
Do you have a comment about this post or your creative process? Please click 'comments' below to post.
No comments:
Post a Comment