DARE TO BE DIFFERENT
Peonies
8” x 8” oil on board, painted from life.
Peonies from husband, jug from sister, title from Noelle!
You’ve got to really commit to this style of painting- mix the colour, place the brushstroke then leave well alone...meaning there is not a lot of room for error. But it’s worth the risk for the marks you get. Whilst scary in one way it’s really liberating in another not to be constrained by lines....to be looking only at shapes and tones.
I was asked recently ‘why put the background in last- what difference does it make?’ Well...the background is a second chance to form the shape only in the negative sense- so you get to reform your positive shapes by chopping into them and around them. It gives the painting more energy somehow, especially when painting wet in wet as you inevitably pick up bits of other colours and drag them into the background, creating interesting blends and edges.