is there a way through this?

So this is the finished oil painting. Finished in the sense I don’t propose to work more on it. The series leading to this is below in chronological order, starting with the charcoal sketch, which was then transferred to the canvas.

Part of the challenge here was simply experimenting with mixing paint and applying it to the canvas.

So this is the point I should have stepped back and been careful to retain the structure of the foreground from the original sketch.

So it was with this iteration I lost the structure in the lower right quadrant, obscuring this with vegetation rising from the bottom of the canvas. Part of the challenge was my clumsiness with using the brush to apply a clean stroke of paint

This version had been digitally altered to variegate depth of tone, as an exploration of how to proceed, leading to the final version.

So there were various bits I like along the journey but the final painting does not pull them together. Time to stop. More sketching needed with an eye to the subsequent painting.

17 responses to “is there a way through this?”

I really like the effects of the strokes. There is a dynamic motion feel to this whole image. It is restless.

What you imagine does not always come to pass – though you ought to be satisfied with these results. Vibrant, full of character …

It does look like a portal. I think the darkness of the foreground adds to that effect. Reminds me of the brambles that grew up around Sleeping Beauty. It’s not easy to find your way through. (K)

kestrelart says:

January 11, 2021 at 11:25 pm

You are spot on Kerfe. Somehow I found I’d painted a portal. Is there a way through this? This is the back of the wardrobe, the wormhole in space, the alien artefact the offers instantaneous transmission across the galaxy, the opening pages of the book, the cheap seats with popcorn.
I’d not seen the vegetation as a spiny barrier but now I can’t unsee it.
However, Neil Gaiman’s the Sleeper and the Spindle was dramatised on BBC Sounds and I had listened last weekend. Heroes foolishly try to reach the princess but are rent asunder by the thorns.

Reply
- memadtwo says:
  
  January 12, 2021 at 11:36 am
  
  Its interesting where our art takes us sometimes. I’ve noticed also that things I read or listen to find their way into my work. Our subconscious mind is always busy!

Sounds like a plan. I’m glad you picked up the paints. How did you find them?

kestrelart says:

January 11, 2021 at 6:41 pm

It’s like the old joke “waiter: how did you find your steak? diner: I lifted a chip and there it was”. I wasn’t sure what you meant at first. But generally nice to work with but my brush skills need improvement. So even working thick it should be possible to apply clean strikes, but I can’t. I think I’m overloading the brush so trying to use knife to mix and take paint just on the tip. But generally really nice to work with. Somehow better than acrylics. I like the slow drying, the sense of doing slow art. So the other challenge is composition and self discipline, not overloading the canvas, and working methodically – so that’s about having a plan, at least while I am discovering the medium, like practising scales when learning to play music.

Reply
- outsideauthority says:
  
  January 12, 2021 at 8:42 am
  
  How big is it? The paints are easy to remove with a cloth if you feel you’ve put too much on. It leaves a satisfying blush of colour
- kestrelart says:
  
  January 12, 2021 at 9:57 am
  
  Yes I discovered that hence the pale trees in the background. I’d also done it in the foreground but the cheap reused canvas is beginning to struggle with my reworking as is my brain, so time to stop and work on the next.
- outsideauthority says:
  
  January 12, 2021 at 10:34 am
  
  Yes, on to the next! I know your sketchbooks have ample material!