Second FMP Painting - Process

Second FMP Painting

An Exploration into Shape and Space within Memory

Following my first painting for my final major project, I decided I'd like to create a series of paintings for my finished project, that could work together. I wanted there to be a relationship between the paintings, without them being too similar. I aimed to explore similar topics, such as recollection of place and space. My goal for this painting was to explore different colors or rather feelings within the painting. I wanted it to feel as though the viewer is observing the same place as my previous painting, but perhaps feeling a different emotion.

What I learned from my last painting is that implementing a lighter touch comes across well in these paintings on raw canvas. That is not to say that there shouldn't be areas that are rich with color, or saturated with paint, but I have learned that these areas should be built up gradually and intentionally as the painting begins to emerge naturally. I wanted this piece to take on a more rounded feel than that of the last (sharper and more jagged) painting, as I felt this will match the use of softer colors.

A goal of mine for this painting was to really hone in on and develop colors more meaningfully. I know that this can sometimes be a struggle of mine. I want to introduce varying shades and hues of each color I used to create depth, and introduce well blended grays into the painting. At the same time, I did not want to be afraid to introduce more colors than just a few in this piece. I often times will stay away from using too many colors in fear that I will not be able to execute them all together cohesively. In this painting I wanted to not limit myself too much. This meant that I took a softer and more calculated approach to my application of color than usual, to allow for more introduction of color and a broader range.

I was careful here to leave some of the canvas nearly blank, as I had in my last piece, as I found this to be a strength in the painting, breaking up the space. The only thing I did to these parts was to apply the thinnest of peach colored washes to them, highly diluted in water to impart an ever-so-slight warmth, and even out the texture of the canvas. I like the way the grays have begun to develop here, pulling some purples and greens into the canvas subtly.

I like the texture developed in this detail here, and the way the green/gray paint has bled into the orange in the bottom left hand corner. This allowed for the orange to come through enough to offset the blues, yet has toned it down so that it takes on less of an "straight from the tube" feel.

At this point I put the painting up on the wall to apply finishing textural touches. What I find most successful about this painting is the transparency in some of the layers. I love that you can see some of the first marks I made on the canvas underneath the very last layers. I think the color mixtures were more elaborate than my usual work here, and I am pleased with the varied use of grays. I think this painting will work alongside my first painting as I had intended, creating a conversation between the two. What I find less successful about this painting is the more obvious nature of some of the shapes involved. I feel this painting is a bit simpler than my former and easier to work out. I began experimenting with it by rotating it around on the wall and ended up finding that this could be remedied by displaying the painting on its side. This way I feel the shapes come out more and tend to float in a way within the painting.

I find the painting rotated this way to be more visually interesting. This painting is really meant to represent memories in dream, and I think when turned on its side, the shapes seem to move in a way that represent dreamscapes more.