I won't waste a lot of time explaining why I wasn't able to keep up with my 'painting a week' goal. It's enough to say my original plan was a bit too lofty for me while also trying to restart my career. It doesn't mean I'm going to give up altogether. It just means I need to stay true to the art, and only paint when I'm truly feeling it. Otherwise I'm just going through the motions, and I've had my fill of that. :)
Returning to what's important... This painting marks a return to one of my favorite color palettes; Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna and Titanium White... introduced to me by another dear friend of the family, who also happens to really know what he's doing. These colors go so far back, and have been used by so many masters, they just naturally produce timeless images. They're always a safe bet when I'm in the mood to produce something a bit antique looking. Something else you might notice (if you're able to make out the brush strokes in the background) is that this piece has more texture than my earlier, non-palette knife works. Although this isn't quite how scumbling works (at least to my understanding), I started by creating a textural surface using a gloss heavy gel with thick brush strokes over the entire canvas. Once it was completely dry to the touch, I used my traditional canvas priming technique. This involves barely swirling two colors of paint together with a little bit of Liquin, then smearing it on with a strip of old t-shirt. In this case Burnt Umber was mixed with very small amounts of Titanium White and applied to the corners. Then Burnt Sienna was mixed with a little more White and applied to the central area. This technique creates a wonderfully subtle vignette-like effect; the trick being not mixing the colors too thoroughly. If done correctly, it's almost a painting in itself. I also tried to be more intentional and accepting of my original brush strokes when painting the actual subjects, avoiding my usual desire to blend everything into a more photorealistic quality. That's not easy for me, but is something I want to continue practicing. The great news is, I enjoyed this so much, I'm already preparing my next canvas. And that's what this is all about for me... having so much fun, I don't want to stop. :) Until next time, Justin
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AuthorHello everyone. I'm Justin Mackay. I'm a creative soul, an explorer of life's mysteries, and a big fan of all the beauty in the world. If you're just here for the paintings, then head on over to my Art tab. If you wish to delve deeper into the odd thoughts of a pondering mind, then this is the place for you. Archives
February 2018
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