In yesterday’s post I mentioned one piece of art that had gone through so many different stages it needed it’s own blog post just to show them all. Well, today’s the day! I know it had to have been at least three years ago when I began this piece. It’s traveled from my home studio, to a not-at-home studio and back again. It’s sat on tables, in corners, in storage tubs and various other places during it’s life. One place it’s never been is hung on the wall! 😉 I feel like I may, finally, be approaching that stage! The original design was created with acrylic gel, tissue paper, a photo image and paint. It got this far and then I was stumped:
This is how it’s looked up until this summer when I drug it out of hiding and began to work with it again. I had tried to figure out a way to salvage the tree image but it just wasn’t going to work and I was tired of it just sitting and waiting for me. SO, on went some paint:
That really didn’t thrill me so during a play date with an artist friend, I threw some mortar on top of the piece to see what some different texture would do for it.
Well…now I’d done it! I was 1/2 way back to a blank, textured canvas again. 🙂 Nothing to do but keep putting layers of paint on and see what happened. Unfortunately, this is what happened:
Ack! Color overload! I tried toning it down with some darker colored inks and stains.
Well, I suppose that’s better but it’s still not at all what I was wanting. It just didn’t feel like it had a good flow/composition. Hmmmm. Well…time to go back to a “blank” canvas again!
Okay, it’s not entirely blank, I purposely left some of the colors peeking out here & there when I painted over the surface with gesso during my studio time on Wednesday. The next step was to define some of the shapes with a thick, black pencil and then start adding some color.
So far, so good! Prior to this stage I’d been working on it with a different orientation. Once I flipped it this direction it started coming around! I continued to add color to different areas and eventually could “see” where it was going.
Woo hoo! I continued to play with it, adding color, darkening pencil lines, adding details in different sections and generally just fussing with it until the sun went down. This is how it currently looks:
I am finally pleased with it! I may add a few more small details, shadows or highlights but I am almost certain I won’t be painting over it again. 🙂 What a journey this one was! Sometimes the more difficult ones are more memorable, too. I won’t look at this piece without thinking of the path it took, rather like my own, with stops & starts, do overs and experiments all to reach this very point.
Life really is like art!
Lynne
A Randomly Creative Blog 
Terrific, Lynne!!
Thanks Judy!
What an interesting post! I found you through An Artist’s Journal, and I must thank you for posting the different stages of your painting and reworking the painting. The first stage and the end result are so different! I really like the final piece, and I found it interesting that flipping it around made you see it differently and changed the work. I also have a painting I’m not happy with (it’s the green, pink and black one in an earlier blog post of mine) and I need to just get brave and throw some gesso on top of it!
I’m now off to explore your blog and read more of your posts. ~Sara
Thanks for visiting Sara! I appreciate you taking time to leave a comment. I’ve found myself turning art around a lot more since that happened! 🙂 Go get brave…and if that doesn’t work then get brave again!
Lynne
Lynne I found my way here via Martha’s blog and I am so glad that I did. I often show my process to a painting and it is absolutely thrilling to view the creative process of other artists. The final work seems to hold the mystery of its journey. Such depth and engagement! Congratulations. Terrill
Thanks for stopping by! Martha was so nice to include me. 🙂 I am never sure if it’s interesting for others to see all the steps so it’s nice to know you enjoyed it!
Also found you through An Artist’s Journal – I so enjoy seeing the process and really like the way it came our. Thanks for sharing.
Jackie Griswold
Hi Jackie! I’m glad you visited and liked the end result! – Lynne
Lynne – Today, found you from Martha’s Blog . I love your work – and can identify on the “reworks – recreations, I like to call them:))
I have signed up for your blog, as well. Shirley A