Friday, January 08, 2010
Anatomy of a painting 2
The next thing I always do after the initial sketch is to lay in all the darks. Get some form in there, and mass. In this case, spruce trees and the rocks on the island, and this strange reflection which is the major reason I wanted to make this painting in the first place. So I get it in there immediately, and build the rest of the painting around it.I love this early stage of a painting - I can see it coming to life under my hands, and I'm completely out of my mind, in a good way, concentrating and forgetting everything that doesn't have to do with this specific task.
It's a lot like meditation.
By the way, please excuse the variations in light in these photos - the sunlight was moving around the room as I worked all day.
