The Road to the Lake

Are you ready for something scary?  Or at least something that will make you say, "What's that?", or more likely, "Has she finally lost it?"  Remember when I talked about trying a new technique for starting a painting?  Well, I did it today, and here it* is:

 

Most of the underpaintings I've actually seen (obviously one doesn't see many because the artist paints over them) are painted in burnt sienna (reddish brown) or a similar color.  Whatever color is chosen, they are usually monochromatic - just a thin wash of color with turpentine which dries quickly.  Generally the purpose is to lay out the composition in broad strokes and also to indicate values (darks - lights) both of which I did. 

 

My reason for doing an underpainting is to experiment with the idea for both of the reasons artists usually do but also for one other reason.  Painting with a palette knife has really worked for me, but it does have a drawback.  As you can imagine, one does not have the suppleness with a knife that one would with a brush.  A painter can push paint into corners and onto edges by manipulating a brush quite easily.  It isn't that simple when using a knife even though it does have some suppleness.  As a result, I find that my paintings when held up to the light have very small areas where there is little to no paint.  Most of the time, the viewer can't tell unless looking very carefully, and up until the Boat House painting, I've found and painted over such spots.  With that last painting, I was concerned about getting the right colors and the right texture so I left it alone. 

 

But it nagged at me.  Even though people don't hang paintings in front of a direct source of light, a close inspection would show places where the paint is not evenly applied.  Does it matter?  I don't know what the experts would say, but it matters to me.

 

So . . . by employing an underpainting technique, I have ensured that I have a layer of paint that covers the canvas.  My subsequent layers will cover most of what you see above, but should there be a spot where the additional layers don't cover completely?  The underpainting will show through, and that's all right with my style of painting. 

 

Remember this entry because in future weeks when I do post an entry on this painting, you'll be able to scroll back and check how (or if) the underpainting is working for me.

 

*To see the subject of this painting more clearly, go back to:

 

Thursday, November 8, 2012, "Pen and Ink Study #2"