Friday, February 3, 2012

More Stick Handlin'....Part One


Noted the shifted locations and structure in the composition of the middle ground and background houses. More change to follow!


Towels take away distracting edges... and provide lighter values!



Random brush stroke application... looking for general shapes ...



Note that the hand is at the end of the twig! It's not a pencil ! Accidental dripping counts as a bonus!


Note the fanciful and lilting quality of the lines produced by the twig styluses.



Centering the central image against the sienna edges. Note the almost haphazard application of the sienna strokes... and the roughness of the drawing... very uncommitted and loosely structured!


All methods of applying medium to the canvas can be seen here in their raw states. The first inkling of the finger painting adventure is here as well !



Yes... your eyes read correctly! My pointer is my blunt "nib" for dexterously blending in larger dark areas. Quick... effective tool for roughing in without reserve. Washes off fairly easily with soap... water and a tooth brush for nails! Latex glove works for the "faint of heart!"



This is the final foundation from which I will begin adding paint. Though it is a cacophanous collection of drips and splotches... knitted together by strangely drawn lines... there exists a central image .... of a huddled, broken down fish house structures and modest homes... centre stage... emerging from the inky darkness... ready to "speak." Details such as windows... doors, etc. are just markers to give positioning and reference points.


At this juncture... if one was too befuddled or unhappy with what was there in front of you... areas and flaws could be easily corrected with a brush of choice and white gesso... returning the area back to the original canvas state. However... I choose to proceed as it stands. Oil paint covers a host of mistakes! That is why I choose to use it as my primary medium... it's forgiving!


GETTING STARTED:



Well... my cold was not quite finished with me! I guess my Algonquin "fix"... didn't fix my cold! Had a pretty miserable week... but I guess this bout has everyone on the ropes for at least two rounds! In any event... head's completely empty, I'm sure... two boxes of Kleenex later!


I stepped up Wednesday morning to the blank 20x24 inch canvas that I had placed there two weeks ago now... to begin my two piece project for my Nova Scotian Gallery rep.... and decided to follow along using my "stick-to -play" technique to encourage creative thought and energy. I am pulling out all of the stoppers on this one... not to make it a presentation piece... but rather to act as a demonstration and invitation to follow along and discover how structure and direction can emerge... without being forced... from what in the beginning seems like pure chaos.


I first chose to reinterpret photo of a smaller sketch that I had completed en plein air almost a decade ago when I lived in Nova Scotia. That bothers me some... because I favour first hand contact with my subjects. This particular place, Bush Island... joined by a small causeway to the South Shore was a place I loved to paint because it was remote from mainland traffic. Much of this isolated village has changed... the "turquoisy" Cape house now a ghost... vanished forever. Heavens knows about the rest! When new money moves in... the Past moves out... no hint of remorse or conscience! That's today's world!


You will note that I get around merely copying... by rethinking and developing a thumbnail to rebuild and experiment with new structure for the piece. This adds a degree of newness and energy for me. You will note other changes perhaps ... as the process continues. My sticks... and my manner of applying both burnt sienna acrylic and ink to the surface... deter me from becoming "cute" and falling into my normal method of painting.


This Part One stage will carry us through the lay in and structural focus part of planning and execution. I have no set plan in mind... but will just let let the process and "Flow" take me where it wants. This segment then... is what I refer to as "Imagineering." Painting begins with an "Idea"... and this expands and develops independently... and on its own. I will really try to operate completely outside of usual safe zone of preparation and development. This really is stick handlin'... a rush... end-to-end.... Let's see what happens! Where to go from here???? More looking and thinking... and hopefully... "Seeing" a new path!


Stay tuned!....


Good Painting to All !

20 comments:

  1. You're off to a wonderful start! I like seeing how you go about beginning. I too block in similarly, but with brushes. Messy allows color surprises to occur and emotion to emerge. It's what I tell my students. At this stage you get a glimpse at your painting and it's very easy to adjust or move elements around in the wash stage.

    Hope you're feeling better.

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  2. Hi there Susan!... Thanks for visiting... and for your thoughts and ideas about this technique!

    Though there are certainly different facets in our approaches... we all share a lot of common ground in our approaches to making art... and a wish to maintain a freshness to our work!

    Painting is really all about working and reworking... searching out new avenues... so we don't find ourselvers in a cul-du-sac!

    Good Painting!
    Warmest regards,
    Bruce

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  3. Talk about seeing the hand of the artist in the work! This is looking great and was so fun to watch as you worked on it, gathering momemtum and bringing it to this stage. Hope the cold is gone for good now!

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  4. Love it all, from the pen sketch to the blocking in and the progression of a great piece of art in the making. Thank you for sharing.

    All the best to you,
    Joan

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  5. Hi Rhonda!... Thanks for dropping by and for all of your encouragement!

    It has been a lot of fun to this point! Now just a bit more thinking about the next stage or two... and then on with the fun!

    Cold is pretty well licked... I hope! I think that the chicken noodle soup x'd it! HA HA!!

    Good Painting!
    Warmest regards,
    Bruce

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  6. Hi there Joan!... A good painting most always begins with prior thought and planning... even in the field!

    "Look twice... paint once"... continues to follow as a good rule of thumb!

    Once the foundation is in place... and there's structure... it is always easier to feel a direction and the latitude to either follow... or create offshoots to build upon!

    We'll see how it goes!

    Thanks for dropping by and for the encouraging words!

    Good Painting!
    Warmest regards,
    Bruce

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  7. Awesome! Love it. Thank you for sharing your process with us!
    Happy Painting,
    Have a lovely weekend,
    Nora

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  8. Thanks Nora!...For the visit and your enthusiastic response to the process!

    Sort of follows the gestural process that you carry out so very well in your own work... right down to the inclusion of washes and line!

    More to come!

    Have a great weekend yourself!

    Good painting!
    Warmest regards,
    Bruce

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  9. Hi Bruce,I'm enjoying seeing how this develops. The stick drawing certainly helps to get away from what I call 'postcard paintings'. I do the same with my watercolours - holding the pencil at the end. It's hard to resist tidying it up though! I suppose it helps, with oils, to know that you can always cover up anything you don't like.

    Looking forward to the next stage,

    Keith

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  10. Your stick handling so far outshines my meticulous and best efforts it is not even funny. Sadly for me, loose tends to run me further amok! Anyway, Bruce, I am sorry you had a second down turn. In fact, I too had a rough week with a second run of a "cold" that had me almost calling in sick two days (but I didn't).

    I love seeing how you work and seeing this piece come together in its earliest stages. I will say again that it is a strong piece that can stand alone just as you have it with the roughing in. It is different and unique and hints at the skeleton of an old town. Still and yet, I know that as it progresses, it will be beautiful in wherever you go with it.

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  11. Hi there Keith!... I thought that this little segway might interest you!

    I always marvel at the looseness of your structure and final product. Yet within those perameters there is a pristine transparency and "correctness."

    Perhaps it is the earlier "Me".. the watercolourist. I so loved the medium for those very same reasons.

    I hope to explore loosening up more deeply in this New ear of painting. PLein air is a great tool to do so. No time for cuteness out there.

    "Say what you mean (quickly)... and mean what you say!"... That's watercolouring in one phrase!

    Thanks for dropping by Keith and for your always helpful and encouraging comments and observations!

    Good Pochading!
    Warmest regards,
    Bruce

    PS The next phase will begin with a "wash" to fill in the blank canvas... just to pique the notion of building colour into this rather strange landscape! Already... however... even in this very early stage... my mood has been established.

    It was never to be just another "pretty post card" using your own words... it simply in both the sketch and this piece will show how a once proud and substantial way of life has been put by the side of the road.

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  12. Good Morning Friend Sherry! ... Thanks so much for dropping by and for adding your own very thoughtful ideas and observations! I always look forward to your visits...and our "conversations!"

    Forget the need for comparison Sherry! Look at what is offered. Perhaps a segway like this might be a freeing experience... one which will not handcuff you into expecting "perfection" from the onset.

    We are all on some kind of learning curve Sherry... all the way along our journeys... like it or not. Life is about acquiring knowledge... and I can say from my own experience only... that my greatest learning has always come from my "mistakes." This exercise is a small visual analogy that very clearly illustrates and supports that very principle!!!

    Fact is... I am obsessed with reaching out... always searching to become better... to know more about what I am interested in... and about my sometimes... elusive and complicated "Self."

    My Art has always been my vehicle to do so. That vehicle has needed a lot of "maintenence" along the way... but it has carried me all along! I choose to serve "Her"... till the end of things here! Choices!

    "You" have a wonderful spirit... way with words and with talents in many areas. "Talent" is a gift. The more important question is... What do I DO with it???? A gift is only a gift when it is shared... "Given!"

    Good Luck with your many undertakings!

    Warmest regards,
    Bruce

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  13. Hello there mountain laddie! that cold sure seems to like you, I hope it gets the message and leave you for good very soon. Try a hot toddie always works wonders, or hot chocolate drink with marshmellows on top is another cold cure I have heard of. Great to see your working process it really sounds exciting to hear you talking about striving to become a better painter and by trying to get out of your comfort zone by stretching yourself artistically. Me, I am on a different kind of artistic journey at the moment which is more like a meditation of accepting what it is my inner world is trying to tell me to get onto the canvas very quietly! what a journey this art life is! I am looking forward to seeing the next stage of your painting it sure looks packed with energy. Happy painting and keep well.

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  14. Hi there Highland Lass!... Thanks for the visit and all of your great observations... and cold remedy suggestions! I'm well on the mend (I think) .... at the moment!

    "Mountain Man"... I'm not that for certain! More like a "Hillman" with reference to that old Brit auto fav! HA HA!!

    We are all searching... each under our own steam ... and according to interests and time available. But we are most certainly deeply committed to looking at... and understanding the world in which we are all blessed to live... and to find our place in it!... Parallel journeys!

    Look forward to more conversation with "You" and "Others"... as the project progresses!

    Good Glazing!
    Warmest regards,
    Bruce

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  15. This looks fantastic! I'm looking forward to see how it goes from here! Thanks for sharing the process!

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  16. Hi there Helen!... Thanks for dropping by and for your kind comments and encouragement!

    I'm in the process of planning... with the hope of keeping the freshness and minimal attention to detail (for me)throughout the entire exercise. Have some ideas... we'll see what happens!

    Sharing our ideas and process is win-win ... for everyone! Thanks for sharing!

    Good Painting!
    Warmest regards,
    Bruce

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  17. Hi Bruce,

    This process is so interesting. I love your work with the twigs and the blocking in. Will stay tuned.

    Best to you,
    Sue

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  18. Hi there Sue!... Thanks for dropping by and for your interest in this project!

    So far... it has been lots of fun! Puts a new spin on things... forcing one to really work outsdide the usual and predictable comfort zone!

    Might work with animal sketches as well.... I wonder??? HA HA!! Who knows?

    Good sketching and Painting!
    Warmest regards,
    Bruce

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  19. wow bruce, the step by step is so interesting!! i love seeing exactly how you do this. wonderful! so looking forward to seeing more!

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  20. Hi there Suzanne!... Glad that you enjoyed the post and the project!

    It has been interesting and useful ... I feel, in helping to rid myself of the pitfall of "following the plow too long... as opposed to pulling it"!

    Thanks for visiting!
    Warmest regards,
    Bruce

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