« Significance and intent | Main | get with the medium »
January 15, 2005
Putting the brush about a bit
The figures are one thing, and there’s a whole lot of knowledge to be had in there. I work at a figure until I know it. I work with a figure until it becomes instinctive, or as near as instinctive as makes no odds. Because the brushes are alien. The brushes are as different from the panel as the flat surface of the panel is different from the three dimensions of the figure. So I need to be totally familiar with the figure and its intricate make up, to be able to let go completely and let the brushes take the paint and give it life on the panel.
But the backgrounds – now there’s something different again.
Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t as if they’re not important, or enjoyable, they are. It’s just that they’re totally different from the whole figure painting thing. I’m on my own in the studio when I do backgrounds for a start. No compulsion to paint, just frightening freedom.
Oh, and there are tricks, sure: reds comes forward, blues recede, all that good stuff. All the makings of depth and significance. There’s even a hint of history to be had in the background. So here are a few background details to dwell on.
Posted by john at January 15, 2005 11:51 AM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.deletetheweb.com/unstuck/mt/mt-tb.cgi/210