Acrylic Explorations
“Every canvas is a journey all its own.” – Helen Frankenthaler
Observe and EnvisionEvery day that I drive to and from work, a certain landscape view tempts me to cast aside my early start and press the pause button. On many occasions, I have. As I pull off the road and take some pictures I usually find myself contemplating . . how would I paint this? That question became even more persistent upon the request from good friends to fill some prime wall space in their beautiful home with a painting of that very view. Adams County has some beautiful vistas and this view of The Narrows is at the top of the list, the perfect inspiration for the commissioned work.
|
Stretch and Explore
Although I have been painting with acrylics for over twenty years now, it was incredible to learn about so many different materials you can use with this medium. In college we primarily painted with oils and I loved how they blended well, but hated the toxic materials you have to use. Acrylics dry so fast and can be stubborn when it comes to getting a nice flow, but are ideal for other applications. I did use a few of these to work out some small color studies of The Narrows, primarily with washes. Check out some ways that I played with acrylics this week by clicking on the images in the gallery.
|
Engage and Persist
Considering how long it has taken me to fully engage in getting this painting from the sketchbook to the canvas, I was eager to touch base with its future home and owners. I had two large canvases mapped out with the underpainting and really wanted to see which one felt right for the wall space. This visit really kicked things into gear and the insight, feel of the space, and connection really helped me focus on the next steps in the process.
Persist indeed! After settling on the size I made a few modifications to the composition, then it was time for color! Click on the images in the gallery for more insight and see how things progressed. |
Share and Reflect
Though I am very happy with many aspects of this painting so far, I am reluctant to say it's finished . . . I forgot how BIG paintings take BIG energy. The composition, colors, and overall sense of depth are working quite well. It is the dreaded overworking and over organization of areas that I am still grappling with. This is the point where I need to live with it, take notes, hang it up in different areas of my house, set up mirrors to see it from a different perspective, and then dial it in. Sometimes this part of the process is the trickiest . . . two steps forward, three steps back, then finally reaching the point when I feel like I've moved inside the painting and all the parts are working together to create a sense of place.
|
The Narrows acrylic 30" x 40"
|