A LATE START

This does not qualify as a ‘days painting’ even by my leisurely standards.

After a day of alternative pursuits my conscience was nagging me that I should at least start the next painting. Curiously enough, the idea for this painting was sparked by my ‘virtual gallery’ page. My current ‘5 panel painting, no.3’ suggested the third panel should be blue. And with little imagination I thought the bird should be a blue tit.

The painting is quite monochrome as it is still being drawn out. I like the image already and the blue background is dictating how I should make the rest of the painting.

I am updating this painting to the ‘virtual gallery’ at the end of each day to see if the other finished panels influence the way I paint this one.

Anyway, the next days painting must extend beyond a couple of hours.

Bird in a tree 17. At the end of day 1.

A wrestling match

My god, some pictures fight you till the very end. At times it’s a case of who is going to give in first. It’s a real test of mental endurance and sometimes a persistent willingness to use trial and error.

Is it any wonder that sometimes you seek easier distractions at the start of the day.

This picture has been wrestled into submission. It is finished and I am very pleased with it.

I like the simplicity and vibrancy of the background. I will experiment some more with this approach.

Bird in a tree 16. At the end of day 4, finished

It's illustration!

 I have been steering a course away from this territory all my life. But slowly I have been drawn in its direction. Now my resistance has finally snapped.

I have never really understood why it has been regarded in such low esteem amongst ‘fine artists’. The distinction between these two ‘schools’ has always seemed very distinct and rigid. You were either in one ‘camp’ or the other.

If you had any understanding or appreciation of art history you would find it hard to argue that a clear line between them existed.

If someone levelled this ‘accusation’ against my work now I would have no inclination to defend it. I feel I am embracing it. I used to tie myself in knots if I thought I was lapsing into illustration.

I no longer have this anxiety. A lot of this existential freedom is simply because I have been able to work without any external influences for three decades!

By the way, my first decent photo of this painting!! This time shot in ‘Camera Raw’ something I rarely use but may apply it to all paintings as the results are much better.

Bird in a tree 16. At the end of day 3.

POOR PREPARATION

Only myself to blame for this. The painting from day 1 had sunk into the red acrylic layer, I suspect I was too impatient when preparing the board with 3 layers of gesso and not waiting long enough for each layer to dry.

The wife has suggested I prepare the boards well in advance and not just before I need them. This seems to me like an excellent idea.

For my sins, today was like painting with washing up liquid. The paint would not adhere to the surface and any attempt at subtlety was a waste of time. Much unnecessary suffering throughout the day, but actually by the end of it I had somehow improved the painting and the skeleton of a good picture is there.

The photos of this painting are awful. I have tried various lighting situations but to no avail. The reds are brown as are the greens. I think the only solution is to allow it to dry for a couple of days.

Bird in a tree 16. At the end of day 2.

MATISSE'S RED ROOM

Really testing the theory with this painting. Can I paint a bird in a tree with a red sky and make it work?. Well, even I am surprised. So far it looks like I can. So, if a deep red can work then any colour will, its a green light for my theory (sorry).

Very pleased with the start. What I am also liking is that I have not fallen into the trap of merely repeating a successful formula. That is taking the style of ‘Bird in a tree 15’, and just adding a red background

Bird in a tree 16. At the end of day 1.

Wallpaper for a chateau?

Are my paintings heading towards the beautiful bird designs you can find in French chateaus and English country houses? Quite possibly, but I have no concerns about this. In fact I think its definitely worth looking closer at this period of interior decoration. There may be some design elements that I can steal. I have no misgivings about heading in this direction. After all, hasn’t most contemporary art got a high degree of decoration in it? Much of it (abstract) I would regard as entirely decorative, more so than what I am trying to achieve.

Anyway, this painting is finished and I think the next one will be a continuation of the decorative style.

Bird in a tree 15. At the end of day 4, finished

WHEN OBSERVATION IS NOT ENOUGH

If observation is not enough then what is going to guide you?

I am starting to think it is a slow accumulation of thoughts and images. Both of these appear distant and a lot of intuition is mixed in with these. There appears to be no clear path, but whatever methods I am using I can see I am heading in the right direction. It is certainly tied to a figurative style and understanding the forms I am painting is still crucial if I am going to ‘invent’ a different kind of image.

Today was a good day, and quite exhausting.

Bird in a tree 15. At the end of day 3.

DAY 2

Couldn’t think of a snappy title. The painting is continuing in the right direction. I am still looking for what I would call a ‘breakthrough painting’. It doesn’t look like it is going to suddenly appear. It will be more that I see certain elements in a painting that I like and will keep developing. I’ve said this before, but I think it will go towards a more decorative style and this painting maybe the best example of that to date.

I thought the bullfinch would be too decorative (pretty) but it is actually the direction I now want to go in so it seems I am getting a better understanding of where I want to take these paintings.

Bird in a tree 15. At the end of day 2.

Unashamedly decorative

It was time to tackle the subject a la Matisse with an unabandoned (almost) joy de vivre.

With this approach it seemed entirely appropriate to put the bullfinch centre stage. The dapper equivalent of a Michael Portillo, and certainly with a better sense of colour, offsetting a gaudy vermillion against a cooler grey. Michael is more equivalent to a Macaw with a jackdaw sense of colour. On occasions he manages to create a vision of bold elegance though I suspect this is entirely accidental.

The aim was to have a flat decorative painting where the spaces between the leaves would be vibrant and occupy as much of the picture plane as the leaves themselves.

Bird in a tree 15. At the end of day 1.

A FEW LIGHT TOUCHES

Just a bit of retouching to the sky and it is now finished.

Bird in a tree 14. At the end of day 4.

UPSETTING THE PURISTS

My singing male blackbird has now changed into a singing female blackbird! Purely done for aesthetic purposes and not for political statement!

I think this painting only needs a few tweaks and it should be finished.

Painting of a bird 14. At the end of day 3.

A LESS GAUDY FINISH

A less gaudy finish to day 2. I wanted to hold onto that late summer evening atmosphere but not have the candy floss pink clouds from my original photo creating a bubble gum scene. I think I am starting to get the balance right though it still needs some more work.

Anyway, pleased with the days work. The blackbird will need tackling soon.

Painting of a bird 14. At the end of day 2.

GONE WITH THE WIND

This painting has the crude boldness of an old film poster, and I like it. I think it is the exaggerated decorative elements of these pictures that will make them interesting. A bit like Paul Klee or Gustav Klimt. I am not interested in taking them down the naturalistic route, I don’t think there will be any surprises there.

Anyway, day 1 is finished. A bit more subtlety is needed but its a good start.

Bird in a tree 14. At the end of day 1.

A SMALL PAINTING THEORY

Why do these paintings take so long?

I think the answer is very simple. They contain the same number of brushstrokes (therefore time) as a big painting but the brushes are much smaller.

Anyway, this painting is finished. It just needed a final push and I am very happy with it.

Bird in a tree 13. At the end of day 5. Finished

HARD WON GAINS

They say an artist paints the same picture his entire life. This painting is beginning to feel like that. It has been a slugging match today. I am marginally ahead on points, but it has been a dour contest. Looking at the days results I am pleased.

As improbable as it seems, I am coming to terms with the fact that these tiny paintings are taking a long time!

Bird in a tree 13. At the end of day 4.

A QUESTION OF TEMPERAMENT

Even as an art student I knew none of my colleagues were employing the ‘lost’ art of coloured glazing. There were no Renaissance Masters amongst us. I had a vague understanding of what was involved but could see no benefit in using such a tedious practice. Surely my thick impasto daubs could achieve an equivalent effect?

Thirty years later, lacking my youthful swagger, I can see the gaping chasm between ‘Bird in a tree 13’ (day 3), and any painting by Giovanni Bellini you care to choose. The comparison is unkind, but at the same time I can see how a firmer grasp of the technique may benefit my painting.

Do I really have the patience for such a technique?. My current methods cause enough exasperation. I think its worth further investigation: YouTube/oil glazing.

Bird in a tree 13. At the end of day 3.

HELD TO ACCOUNT

An unexpected by-product of writing on the World Wide Web is that it holds you to account. Do I need a public space to hold myself accountable?. No, but it intensifies my self-scrutiny; what did I say yesterday?, did I carry it through?.

This is an unexpected pleasure and I welcome it. If you work in isolation you need to listen to your inner voice. Having it in writing and published publicly means all the evidence is laid out. It sounds like a courtroom battle!

So how has the defendant faired today?. Well, I have managed to hold onto my ‘cloudburst’ and ‘sun-leaf’.

There is a chance I will be found ‘not guilty’ of deviating from my previous pledges. The case continues…….

Bird in a tree 13. At the end of day2.

A PAINTERS REWARD

A poorly judged tone turns into a cloudburst. A leaf catching the sun turns into the sun itself. A horizon opens up where non existed. All of a sudden you are contending with a painting that seems to have set its own direction. Does it matter that the best elements of the painting are an accident?

No, this is one of the reasons why painters paint. How to capitalize on these gifts? It feels like a juggling act, which way to turn. Do you stick doggedly like a good Puritan to your original path or try and unravel this new language that has been presented?

I will take the unknown path. I have already seen what I know. Each time a painting shifts there is an expectation that something new will be revealed and you will have added another word or two to your vocabulary.

Will tomorrow be kind to me or will these gifts vanish as quickly as they appeared?

Bird in a tree 13. At the end of day 1.

FINISHED?

It’s one of those paintings that doesn’t have that sudden realisation of NO MORE! This is a painting of endless tweaks. Creeping forward, yes, but with results that are barely perceptible. Like a freshly made loaf of bread, it needs to rest.

Tomorrow morning I will head straight to the painting for some clarity and certainty. Then I will know if it’s finished. I am happy to let it settle for now.

Bird in a tree 12. At the end of day 5, finished.

ALMOST THERE ..... ALMOST THERE

I have been trying to avoid the Star Wars reference when the X-fighters are diving down into the channel of the Death Star. Now I have got that out of my system, back to the painting.

It’s day 4 and the bird has gained some much needed definition. When you deviate from the photographs you are walking down an unknown path. The equivalent forms and space you invent must have a logic to them if your a figurative painter. Not only may you deviate with your drawing but also the colour. This makes things doubly difficult. You start with a palette that begins as a close approximation to your idea. Then you keep refining the image until it manifests itself on the canvas (if your lucky).

The painting is almost finished. The writing of this blog has broken my rhythm and this sudden feeling of tiredness brings an end to my creative output for the day.

Bird in a tree. At the end of day 4.