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Is It All Pretend?
Have you ever had one of those times that everything seems to be going so perfect that it makes you wonder if it might just be too good to be true? Well, I had one recently. The evidence below documents how this human experience was brought to life in a creative manner in my psyche and then intuitively onto canvas.
I was inspired by this recent experience I was going through in my life—where everything seemed to be going so perfect that it made me wonder if it might just be too good to be true?
Fun Fact: I am an introspective being that is VERY in touch with my emotions and how I feel on an almost constant basis—sometimes causing angst. (But aren’t the majority of creatives?) Nine times out of ten this part of me comes through in my artwork—whether it is the after thought of an experience, during the experience, etc. I am highly interested in documenting my take & experiences of the human condition through my creative processes.
This post explains the process that I used to create one of the artworks from my most recent series called “Outbreak”. You can see all of them here.
Process
I started out with layers of texture—using a combination of Liquitex light modeling paste and Liquitex course texture gel. Putting it down in no certain order or thought regarding the composition. I also added a few stamps into the modeling paste before it dried. All intuition and “play”.
Once that dried, then I added drops of Golden High Flow Acrylics randomly around the canvas. Spraying it with water helps move it around and gets some nice blending and new color creations. Using charcoal, I wrote some words related to what was on my mind at the time—sometimes this is how I’m feeling, the song I’m listening to (if it has an effect on me), etc. Then splashing a bit of alcohol on it, helps move the paint away from itself and creates some nice lighter places throughout.
Finally, once that is dried is when the true magic happens! I look at the colors that were created from that previous process and see if any of them inspire me for a color palette choice. Usually they do but sometimes other colors intuitively come to me. In the case of the artwork in the video below, I really loved a color scheme that I used to create “Mind Over Matter”, a previous work in the series (see right). I didn’t want to replicate it exactly but I was definitely inspired by it.
Fun Fact: Layering is my absolute favorite. Every layer added has the ability to completely change the course of the work. It can open up a new door or close one. This is my way to kind of “play with destiny” if you will—in a completely self-seeking sort of way, since my Type A personality won’t let me do that too much in my own life.😏
As I’m adding colors, I’m thinking about the common art elements & principles like any good artist—balance, value, movement, color, texture, etc. This is a lengthy process of putting paint on, sometimes letting it dry, sometimes not…letting the next color choice “come to me” intuitively…letting paint dry….using other medias like Dr. Ph. Martins Bombay India ink to run down the canvas….and then dry…and then add more paint colors, etc.
It’s a push and pull until I “feel” like the painting is getting to the last few layers. Then I play with my awesome little fine line applicators I got from amazon and put down the first layer of my calligraphic “explosions”. Once dry, I put down a few more layers of paint and then finish it off with the final explosion (“outbreak”). This final step is laced with my intention of releasing that emotion/feeling/struggle back out into the world.
Layers of mixed medias help bring this piece to life with all of the areas that are wonderful and perfect, mixed in with the areas that are uncertain and chaotic. (Quite a metaphor, right?..as is this wonderful thing we call life…)
I hope you enjoyed your personal tour through my artwork process for my most recent series.
Here is a quick compilation of a process video & progress photos of one of my recent abstract art works from the Outbreak Series titled “Is It All Pretend?” below.
Here is a picture of the final artwork from the video below.
Final Fun Fact: My family and friends tell me I give too much detail when telling stories. I have embraced that fact and the part of me that loves explaining things with WAY too much detail. In my mind, I am making sure there is 100% understanding for my audience. As a teacher, I feel that is an important part of my job. 😊 What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
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