Storm and Striation in Pastel
So although this pastel painting is going in as the first of 2017, it is in fact the last of 2016.
As I usually finish with the foreground, this is a detail of the clod of earth at the front. I can often obsess about "negative" space and especially when it is space between roots or trees. Very often it is thoughts about this negative space that prevent me from quickly finishing. Somehow when my paintings are nearing completion I often need a long time to contemplate the last few strokes of pastel.
You probably have noticed that the foreground starts out as a few loose strokes with the pastel card showing through, this "unfinished" look started out years ago as "self-protection"; the "critiques" at art school were very often brutal, but if unfinished you could often convince yourself that when "finished" the work might have been great! Now however, I love the feeling that my painting is growing organically out of the surface.
The grasses were fun, to start off with I used a ruler to try to get the feeling of those vertical stripes, you wouldn't believe how many colours were involved. I also broke my own rule of not using newly bought colours on a WIP, I just had to pop in some of the new Unisons which I got for Christmas.
Indeed, the start to 2017 has been very stormy here, not the weather to paint plein air in, so we'll have to see what happens next on the easel, especially as I always try not to leave it empty. There's nothing worse or more daunting than an empty easel and no idea of what you want to put on it!
Storm and Striation
50cm x 65cm
A lot of drama going on here, I must say. I featured it as a WIP at the end of November and it was the view out of my mother in law's kitchen window. I looked up and saw the stormy sky building up and loved the trees contrasted against the pale stripe of sky, the dramatic orange stripe of wild asparagus, the green savoy cabbage, dried grasses and on the right those amazing red and yellow trees. I popped out to do a quick thumbnail and take some photos. Very proud to say that the thundery grey is mostly my own homemade grey pastel!
You probably have noticed that the foreground starts out as a few loose strokes with the pastel card showing through, this "unfinished" look started out years ago as "self-protection"; the "critiques" at art school were very often brutal, but if unfinished you could often convince yourself that when "finished" the work might have been great! Now however, I love the feeling that my painting is growing organically out of the surface.
Indeed, the start to 2017 has been very stormy here, not the weather to paint plein air in, so we'll have to see what happens next on the easel, especially as I always try not to leave it empty. There's nothing worse or more daunting than an empty easel and no idea of what you want to put on it!
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