Shelley was asking me if I have an image in my head of what I want to paint. My answer was a very clear no. And yet, as we talked, it became clear to me that I don't have an idea in my head, but I had the ideas laid out all around me - studio book, previous paintings, thumbnails of all shapes and sizes, colour swatches, etc. It's all there around me in my studio. I really never know how a painting will look when I start, and it can go in many directions. Which is what I find exciting. But my process guides me at every step of the way. It's not random, I guess. Does that make sense?
This painting I was doing while chatting with Shelley is exactly that. I worked with the colours I had swatched recently, inspired by a scene I painted last week. But the darker element was guided by the thumbnails in dark ink I did on Vivify last week - they were shapes from a different location and day, both from my recent trip to Allihies. I quite like it. I think I can push the idea further, though. And the second one I did at the same time is just meh. I can add pastel on top or wash it off, or even cut it to pieces!
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