Go with the flow

I’ve just delivered a large “seascape” painting.  It’s predominantly sky and water as you might expect, with quite a lot of sand too in this case. Over the years, I’ve seen quite a few how-to references on painting: they all make a point of covering this popular subject and typically have something useful to say.

What can often go unsaid here is that at some point you have to make it work all by yourself. I guess it’s difficult to write something that ends in a variation of “and from now on you’re on your own”. I approach my work with a few thoughts in mind:

1. I have to see something in the image that speaks to me, that tells me how the image should evolve. It’s often about connecting the dots and building in more consistency; in the flow of the marks and passages and colours.

2. It’s normally about reinforcing what’s working, rather than adding detail. I look for passages that I like and then try to propagate the effects on a broader basis.

3. Equally important is eliminating anything that is not working. Often, a line or mark seems out of place and goes against the grain, spoiling the illusion. This is perhaps particularly true with sky and water. I spent a good deal of time removing things that were not working.

4. I always try to step back from my work and look  at it from a different perspective. A mirror is great for this, as is turning it on its side, upside down or changing the lighting. As we look at something differently, our brains tend to see it afresh. We see the good and the bad more clearly.

My latest painting is 3 feet by 6 feet and in my studio getting back from it was a bit of a problem. In the end I hung it in our living room and was able to look at it though a mirror hanging on the opposite wall, giving me a nice distant viewpoint.

And yes, I worked on it in-situ. But only when my spouse was out!