. While I was waiting for the paint to dry in some heavily textured areas of both panels, I started working on something smaller yesterday. The idea came from my desire to work with resin. I've been wanting to use resin in my paintings for the past year but haven't gotten around to doing it for several reasons. One of the main reasons is the lack of ventilated space available to me, and Dubai being way too hot to work outside. In the mean time, I picked up a pad of tracing paper from the art store and started experimenting with that. I just wanted to see how layer after layer would create a larger composition. I used acrylic, spray paint and graphite and I LOVED how it turned out. This was just the first piece and I haven't given it a base yet nor have I figured out a way to make each layer stick to the other so I can frame it. But I definitely want to see where this could go. Now that I know that it could turn into something beautiful, I'm going to start thinking of ways to work with the tracing paper on canvas or wooden panels. I also wonder if the paper could be placed above texture or would it require a smooth surface. Those are questions I will answer in upcoming posts. For now, check out how this piece looks. It feels like a dream or a whisper. There's something so ethereal about it.
0 Comments
I still don't feel like I'm through with this palette and texture so I started a diptych the day before where each panel is 24x36in. I wanted the piece to be flexible so that the panels could either be hung beside one another or split up, and would complement each other as opposed to coordinate. I found this slightly tricky because the overall composition had to tie in together but still look strong by themselves. This is what I've come up with so far.
I dove straight into another piece in a similar modern neutral palette yesterday. There's something about that gold and blush that makes me swoon. Its been so long since I've layered such thick paint and worked with knives, and the rich pigment of the Golden paints is to die for. Still on that high and enjoying every minute of this new work. Here's what it looks like as of now. Can't wait to add that Payne's Gray today!
I'm thinking that both paintings can be framed together, which would be cool or they can be framed individually and placed beside each other or that they can be on either side of something like a fireplace, column or some sort of structure that would break up the space. The size of the canvas is 24x36in per panel. Today will be about figuring out the the final composition of the piece. I also photoshopped the previous piece 'Measuring Milestones' into two different spaces and two different sizes. Take a look As an artist, one of the most wonderful feelings is to feel the growth in your work. Every now and then, there is a painting I make where I feel like I break a certain wall and move to the next level. People often ask me about my favorite pieces or paintings that I'm particularly attached to. And those pieces which allow me to feel the growth are usually the closest to my heart. Whether its technique, composition, color placement, new palettes, or just complete comprehensiveness of the piece, there is something about it that that allows me to feel like I have a little more to offer now. That feeling is indescribable, and is one of the few times where I don't allow the outside world to effect me. Its a time when I decide that I have grown and it has nothing to do with how other people feel about the piece. Its pretty awesome :)
Yesterday, was an amazing day like that. I was working on an art pitch for a hotel, and I was experimenting with a new palette. I approached the piece slower than usual and I'm guessing its because the concept and the palette were both new to me, as was the orientation of the canvas. It was narrow and long so figuring out the composition took me longer than usual. The idea was about finding a balance: a fine line between order and chaos. I finished the piece yesterday and I don't think I've loved another painting more. The reason was that I feel like its a milestone in my life where I could measure the growth from the beginning until this piece. It kind of marked the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new one. The way I treat my canvas, the way I select my colors, and the way I draw out my composition will be different from now on. Its such an amazing feeling and I'm very grateful to feel this way. Here is the piece. I've named her 'Measuring Milestones' She is 24x48 in, and was done with acrylic and spray paint on canvas. I cleaned up the piece for the last art pitch inspired by Yves Klein and submitted it just yesterday. Fingers crossed! There was a new project posted. Something that is definitely more of a challenge for me since I have troubles with a monochromatic and neutral palette. The brief states that the palette of the hotel is comprised of taupes and beige contrasted with rich, dark browns and metallic gold accents. The furniture and architectural elements have linear shapes and crisp clean lines, and all of these design elements are represented in a minimalistic, modern, and sophisticated manner. I could go down the same road as I did earlier and work with ink on paper but I feel like I want to try something a little different. The deadline for submissions is July 21st so I feel like I have some time to pitch a few different ideas and see what works. For now, I'm working on a piece with a more modern neutral palette. I've decided to go with a deeper gold and blush with a contrasting dark gray. The piece will have texture (plenty of it) and I feel like these colors would complement the browns, taupes and beige in the interiors. I put down the first layer yesterday and that gold looked incredible against the blush. Lets see how it develops today. I couldn't resist taking the photos above. The lighting in the studio was pure perfection at the time and it made the gold almost look bronze . Here is what the piece looks like now. I like how the texture of the blush contrasts so heavily with the smoothness of the gold. I don't know how I will build the momentum with the darker color or if I want to add even more texture to the bottom two thirds of the painting. I'm even debating the use of encaustic at the moment. So excited!!
For the past two days, I've been battling with a specific idea on canvas. It is for an art pitch inspired by the city of San Francisco and a palette inspired by Yves Klein. The more I try to make this work, the more it resists. This tug of war was really draining. I was trying to create an abstract composition in the shape of the Bay Area. The shape looked super cool on paper but when I tried to transfer it onto the canvas, it just refused to work. Maybe part of the reason was that I picked the darker colors for the land mass and tried to break it up with the white for the water areas, and the overall image just looked dark and flat. Yesterday, I decided to cover the piece and start over but this time, just allow myself more flexibility in terms of composition and use the colors stated in the brief as a focal point as opposed to the entire painting. This time, it was more successful and I enjoyed the process more. I wonder if this brings me back to the same idea of freedom in my work and how working to a strict brief frustrates the piece as much as it frustrates me. Just a thought.
I still have a few things to work on with this painting and then I'll start another interpretation of the brief. Take a look at how it looks by itself and in situ. Will keep posting progress I began experimenting with this pitch a couple of days ago but now that the rest of my work is wrapped up, I'll be spending the next few days focusing solely on this project. The client is looking for 4 different pieces for the guests rooms of this hotel. As you can see in the image below, the room is very neutral with a pop of color from the chair, which is a very rich blue inspired by Yves Klein. There is an ornate light fixture and the lamp is in a contrasting gold. The trims and moldings add glamor to the clean lines in the rest of the room. What I personally take from this aesthetic is glamor through simplicity. The clients initial brief was for artwork inspired by Yves Klein for the guest rooms and corridors of the hotel. They would like to see Klein's blue, pink and gold in the artworks and the maximum dimensions for the guest room artwork could not exceed 40" at its longest dimension. A few days later, there was an update in the brief where the client mentioned that they wanted to see more black and white photography and artwork with regional relevance to the area (San Francisco). The first thing that came to mind was the bridge. After thinking of several ways of presenting the idea, I realized that nothing sounded or looking original enough. It was time to move on.
Today, I'm going to try to create compositions with ink and acrylic on paper in the colors the client is looking for but the outline of the composition would be in the shape of the city. I'm also going to try to play around with the shapes created by the Bart. I think the lines, the colors and the way they would intersect and overlap could make for an interesting composition. Will post images of progress tomorrow. In the mean time, check out the quill pitch in different environments with different frames and lighting. In the first image, the blue looks more saturated and the placement beside the gold light fixtures adds glamor to the piece. In the second image, the piece looks far more relaxed and with the light wood frame, the painting has a more coastal vibe. I found that crazy. The black and white ink piece was created for this one pitch where the client is also looking for a second piece that would be inspired by feathers and the quill. I wasn't sure if that was something I would create a painting for so I didn't give it much thought initially. Towards the 3rd day, though, I just thought why not. In the brief, the image provided by the client was of a feather with birds emerging from it. Here is what the inspiration image looks like along with a rendering of the wall it would go on I was thinking of ways to present a drawing of a feather or multiple feathers in a palette that would sit well with the design aesthetic of the guest rooms. I started to paint different feathers of various shapes and sizes using ink and acrylic on cold press. Halfway through the drawings, I was certain that the blue was definitely what would look best against the deep and rich blue wallpaper. I added a piece with earth tones to complement the headboard and warm wooden furniture. Here is what the piece looks like in the rendering
I finally pitched the two ink drawings (black and white, and the brown one) to the clients for the guest rooms yesterday. I saw they favorited the black and white one so thats great news but they rejected the brown. There are two more kinds of artwork they are looking for - first, something inspired by the quill, and the other is an abstract equestrian piece. I'm going to look into those today since they're quite different from what I usually do. I'm also working on this other piece simultaneously for a super interesting brief. Its once again for the guest rooms and corridors of a hotel but this one is inspired by Yves Klein and his gorgeous blue. They're also looking for pops of fuchsia in the work so I'm thinking of different ways of presenting this palette. Here is the first layer on paper that I've put down for a smaller piece. More of a test piece. Once I get the hang of the palette, I'll move onto canvas. And here is the brown piece that got rejected in situ
Working on paper has been SO much fun. I've always found it challenging since you have to show a lot more restraint and there isn't a lot of room for error but its been nothing short of wonderful. After the first piece that I had finalized for the new art pitch, I decided to give a a couple of more tries. And every time, I wanted to try a slightly different palette. The idea was to pick a color from the current palette and then try to find other colors to go with it. Kind of like a chain of links. Here are the other two pieces I made yesterday.
|
JournalArchives
March 2019
Categories |