Papunya II

I've been wanting to paint something along the lines of Papunya in the Wet ever since I saw that gorgeous painting on the web. I'm really glad I took a copy of it when I did, as the link is now dead.

It's a beautiful crushed strawberry red, and I love the dark swirls and the white dots. I want to do something similar, in a bigger format than my usual. I've just completed a small sample. It's worked out quite well, although my red is a lot darker, more blood than strawberry. And I've got it upside down! I printed the original a couple of weeks ago, and I cut it to size, and it must have felt more natural to me upside down. I never realised it until I went back to my post. Because my composition is not as balanced as the original painting, I'm going to keep it the way it is - it's a bit top-heavy but the white dots lighten it. If I turn it around, the white dots look crushed by the swirls.

What I enjoyed about painting it was building up the glazes. I used a mix of Liquitex Glazing Medium for transparency (it's glossy and transparent) and Slow-Dri Blending Medium to keep the acrylic paint open longer (so that my colours would blend smoothly). This is a recommended combination from Cheap Joes, and it worked quite well.

I'll move on to the larger size canvas board this weekend, and will keep you posted on my progress