It's nearly July and I haven't done the abstracts I want to take to France next weekend. I've made a start, again! Why? Because given the amount of luggage I need for two weeks (a small case for hotels and a big one with extra clothes for all occasions), I won't have room for large works so I should be concentrating on 2 diptychs I started a week or two ago. This morning I completely repainted the first, and I'm going to do the same with the other. My problem is that I don't wait for the paint to dry, so I get muddy colours. I will not let this happen, but it slows down the painting process when the paint is put on thick.
So the first diptych, which was not impasto and looked like this yesterday:
Now looks like this:
- unfortunately reflecting the exceptionally strong sun on the left side, but you get the general idea. I was sorry not to be able to rescue some of the rather nice background, but it was too blue to integrate. I will do one more session, making most of the hinted at colours clear and shading with some black. I really want to retain the spontaneity and speed with which I repainted the canvases (30 minutes).
Yesterday I left a community art site AGAIN. I discovered I'd once been a member because somewhere in their archives a previous photo of me was stored. Maybe I hadn't deleted everything last time, but this time I did. And of course I now know why I got out very fast last time. There's at least one thing these sites have in common, and that is that they attract bumptious women (in this case one who paints dreadfully harmless little watercolours based on ever so dramatic photos). I had posted five zen doodle drawings and got the same message from her 5 times, to the tune of my not having obeyed the rule that you may only post paintings there that you have copied from photos posted by members of the site. But, as I had pointed out, as long as have no such paintings, I will post my own stuff and gradually replace it. Oh dear. That was putting the cat amongst her pigeons. I thought about it for a bit, then went in and cancelled everything. I just can't be bothered with arbitrary restrictions, and definitely can't be bothered with officious women who - for the first time? - have a little power, and like to exert it on every possible occasion. So "paint my photo" is already a site of the past, along with many others that were taking up too much energy and time. I don't paint and draw in order to be restricted by restrictive regulations. The drawings were posted on my page only. I received effusive compliments for all of them, but that obviously does not mean anything to the woman who labels herself "LT" (not ET!). Well, LT, no problem. I conceed that you have triumphed there, for what good that does you. Long may that person reign - but I am not one of her devoted subjects, nor am I devoted subject anywhere I am censored for what I paint and draw!
Time to move on.
I only had 5 minutes to coat these canvases and get rid of everything that was already on them, but actually literal speed painting (i.e. not manipulated) is a good exercise. You have to make sure all the colours you need are on the palette ready to use, and it's useful to have a basic concept. For both the diptychs posted here I've decided on a compartment idea, almost like one of those sun blinds you see in offices, when the slats go from top to bottom. The next stage - which I hope will be the final one - will bring out the contours, pushing dark parts back and discovering new compartments within those I've already drawn. Here they are white, and in the first diptych they are black. This means I don't have to go down the same track twice! I can see that on this pair the left edge is probably too dar and treatment like on the right edge will be the first step forward. I've just had a new idea. When these are finished, I'll try diagonal compartments.
