"Exchanged for other gold"

I'm continuing to explore the idea of a gold thread running through my landscape. I think there is plenty more to explore with this. This time, I worked in layers, glazing over existing pieces that I had created earlier in the week. They were lovely, but lacked something. I'm much happier with them now, except for one that was a total disaster! 5 out of 6 ain't bad. In one of them, the Ocean became a sky, another a bog. I might turn them around a little more and see what happens. They were all inspired by a video of the coast and mountains near Allihies on the Beara Peninsula. I have glued one to claybord, and applied some Dorland's wax medium to protect it. I really love how it turned out, the thread of gold colour, the rhythm of it all, the feeling of being on the edge of the Atlantic.

Here is what they looked like at the first layer

Colours for Scim

Scim means haze, or mist. I'm thinking of a more fluid watercolour painting. I never know what they're going to look like. But I start with colours, and words. And a place. Although my paintings are not representational, they always start with a real place, at a particular moment.

Lots of blues in these test swatches. I'm running low on Cobalt blue and I wanted to see what else I have that would work for the painting I'm thinking of. I know I could just order some Cobalt blue, but I have so many other colours in my stash. I just want to use them.

Spréach

I'm kind of sorry I never learnt Irish. Maybe it's not too late to start? Though I really need to brush up on my Japanese first. 

Anyways, spréach means sparkle, and, amongst other things, spirit, life force. So I think it works well for this piece I have just finished.

I have taken some extra photos so you can look at it better. I should do this more, as it's really hard to imagine what a painting looks like unless you're standing in front of it.

And in case you're wondering about the last image, I often start a painting by writing some words that come to me. I write in my studio book, but also on the paper itself, with a watercolour pencil. It brings an extra dimension to the piece, and more importantly, it helps me focus on the energy I want to convey.

 

How the land breathes

I was on a roll. Same view, same colours. The feeling of the land breathing. Water, air, land. Waves, wind and rocks. Storms and land formation. A time before time. Interestingly, I like it better as a mirror image. What was that movie with the blond actress who was married to the guy from Coldplay, where time goes backwards. Literally put that in Google. It had to think for a second. Gwyneth Paltrow, Sliding Doors.

Plunging, Holding

Exploring the water and rocks about 50 meters down the road from the previous paintings. The big slabs of rocks plunge into the water, and it feels like they're holding the water in an embrace. I haven't fully identified what my feelings are with this one, or what the energy is. This version is on cartridge paper, A2. The paper is a lot thinner than I expected. Not ideal with my vigorous way of painting and drawing. I did tear the paper. And I have painted something similar, but in a very different way, a few months ago. So this might take a while before I can figure this one out.

Soft pastels to the rescue - Birth-Day

There is more energy now. I used some soft pastels to repeat the shapes that I see pushing through this landscape. And a little bit of extra splashing. I have Suzanne Vega's song stuck in my head.

Birth-Day

For this one, I felt a square format would work better, to express the tectonic push that I see in the landscape. the making of the landscape by forces beyond my comprehension, and the idea of a creator, or mother, giving birth to the landscape. 

But I think I'm still being too literal in my representation. I really need to push the abstraction much further. This is a big square (about 50cm) on Hahnemuhle Cornwall paper. Also a few thumbnails and notes in my studio book.

Cradling - Une chanson douce

Had to try something different after the previous one didn't express what I had in mind. I reverted to quarter sheet and Fabriano Unica paper, for a gentler flow without jagged edges. I must try a few crops of this to see if there is anything interesting in it.

The Cradle

I zoomed in some more and found some interesting shapes, evoking a mother's warm embrace. But I haven't gone past the first layer. Sometimes, I feel that there is no point in pushing a piece further. That's watercolours for you. Plus I went too heavy with oil pastel. I do like the colour mixes. And the lines on the stones. But I want something more fluid.

We are strong

This one felt more like a wall, rather than a gentle embrace. More about stopping the outside. Less about protecting the inside. 

 

The Weaver

She's protecting us, with her weaving, building strong defenses. All these words are coming to me, bit by bit. Reminding me that tectonics, textiles and architect are all connected via their Proto-Indo-European root. Strong roots are important, no matter where you are.

Another painting inspired by the Beara Bowl.

Here is what the first layer looked like

Crops from previous pieces

While I was at it, I decided to crop a couple of pieces that I wasn't sure about. Also included here are crops of pieces I did on location in Allihies - as I didn't want to cut up the original, I printed them and cropped the printout. I'm trying not to be precious, but it's not easy! They're now safely glued in my studio book. They will be there when I need inspiration.

Adding colours?

I love colour. I had a few more tailor shapes in my ArtGraf box. Couldn't help it. Probably not a good move. I will not have any problem cutting these ones up.

Draw to see - reddy brown

Continuing with my intuitive exploration of the Beara landscape near Allihies. It's a few months since I was there, but the pull is still strong. I worked on these with ArtGraf tailor shapes, and lots of water, and a tiny bit of watercolour. I need to do many more of these, so I don't get too attached, then I can crop and collage them. I have ordered lots of cartridge paper so I don't feel precious about wasting paper.

I am inspired by Lewis Noble's process of exploring the landscape through drawing. For both of these, I worked from the same photo, just zooming on different elements. Sometimes it's the full mountain that inspires me, sometimes just the curve of cracks in a rock.

Land

I enjoyed painting this one. It's been a while since I haven't added anything to a watercolour.  Done on Hahnemuhle Cornwall paper, about 48x48cm. Lots of granulating pigment.

On the rocks

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!

You want shapes?, she said

I needed shapes, so I went looking for shapes. Found them in my videos from the shoreline across from the beach in Allihies, where the dark rocks stick out from the sea. They inspired my post-apocalyptic pieces a few weeks ago. This time, I just wanted quick thumbnails in ink. I did them while chatting with a few friends on Vivify.  I always find it easier to get into flow when I'm chatting with friends. And also working from videos recreates the energy of being on location. As you can see, towards the end, I mixed far too many colours, and sprayed lots of water, to disastrous results. But the first two quarter sheets with 4 thumbnails each have some good shapes that I like and will use. Done on the back of failed watercolours, using Pilot ink (take-sumi and yu-yake, diluted with lots of water) and some sumi ink on top for strong darks, after waiting for the first layer to dry. That bit about the first layer drying is something I rarely do. I need to invest in a hairdryer for my art-studio.

This is my favourite