Perhaps there are people out there who pick up a brush and that make a beautiful art piece and on rare occasions something beautiful comes out of not planning ahead but most times it needs work, lot's and lot's of work. Practice and iterations born out of new ideas and inspiration.
Let me explain. Once upon a time, to be more precise in April this year my wonderful friends gave me more art supplies. Around that time Luis Miranda posted a beautiful photo of his two grandsons looking across the ocean. New materials, a blank canvas and this photo inspired me to make this little portrait.
Looking back is was a wrong combination of materials, it was a fun challenge and because of the subject is was so well received and I was so humbled by the feedback. Because all I see is when I look at this painting is that I can do better. So I wanted to do better.
Chess not checkers, plan ahead
The subject was clear, at least one photo was clear. I like to combine photo's and portrait what could be but is not (yet). Twitterico came through and delivered not one but two beautiful photo's that could be combined with the original photo. First a photo of Lin-Manuel and a second photo of Luis.
These photo's made me go back to my trusted materials, an iPad, an Apple Pencil and Procreate and make the next two iterations of this portrait. The title of this how to is: "plan ahead" but that is always a challenge for me, at every stage there is a moment I think. This is it. I'm done.
Patience is not one of my fortitudes, I do not have it. So I know I'm not done at the moment I published the piece on social media and I look at the post.
So planning is good , very good, my message here.. I need to start doing it. The moment I published these I had the notion that his needs to be a painting. The digital drawing was a base for me to start a painting and start I did, three times. The backdrop was the most difficult thing, four amazing people looking over a horizon, the horizon needs to be worthwhile.
So I let is be, the painting was in the back of my head as a project I want to finish one day. A problem I want to solve one day that I don't have the answer to.. yet.
That is until last week when we visited the Kroller-Muller museum. The museum had an amazing collection of paintings, really worth a visit. The artist I found was Paul Signac. He painted in dots which gives a really sereen but very interesting backdrop, a possible solution. Also the Van Gogh's that live in the museum have a very thick paint layer, they almost seem sculpted. These ideas made me start again.
Painting is a messy business
At least it is for me, you are in your own head and as you might know that can be a difficult place to be. When you publish you get feedback. Things you love may get no feedback at all, or negative feedback. You need to be able to look at yourself and see truth, always. Lastly it literally is messy, I lost a lot of clothing to paint stains to say the least.
But when you love the result it is so rewarding. I did not count the hours I was with this painting but I spend a couple of days on it at least. I researched the style which turns out to be pointillism, I found (again) that I have less patience then a regular human being so I can't make the perfect dots like Paul Signac but I do like the colors and energy this style creates. It will not be the last time I use it.
I think I'm done now..