White Behind Red, egg tempera on calfskin parchment, 6 1/4 x 7 1/2 inches.
I had a terrible time with this painting. It looks calm and rational, but its lower third fought me tooth and nail, forcing me to wipe off a full day's work twice. The upper part of the painting went fine, with me trying to work slowly and attentively, as I described with my last painting, Gray Cross. I mainly used a very small brush, a #2 round, and built the subtle variations in the surface color bit by bit. The wonderful thing about egg tempera is that because it's translucent, I can make color changes very easily, by lightly glazing or scumbling one color on top of another. I shifted the shadow blues many times until I was satisfied with their hue and value.
It was the red rectangle at the bottom of the painting that gave me all the trouble; it wasn't because of color, but because of lowly dust: for some reason the paint attracted every stray bit of dust, every tiny hair floating about. I began working on this section of the painting as I did on the upper part: after laying down a couple of layers of paint with a larger brush, as you see in the photo above, I worked carefully and slowly with a small brush to build a wall of color. My aim was for it to have weight and presence, with a slightly varied color surface. I don't know if it's because these earth colors are fairly transparent, but I needed many layers of paint to get the effect and color that I wanted. I would work for a while, then go downstairs and do something else for a few minutes in order to see what I'd done with a fresh eye. Over and over again it looked off; over and over again I picked out pieces of dust with a sewing needle I keep on hand for this purpose. Finally, after 5 hours, I looked at the painting and said "ah good, it looks velvety". But but, there was the dust, which mucked up the surface and lifted the paint when I tried to brush it off. So...trying to maintain my sense of calm, I wiped all the red off, down to the parchment, and began again the next day.
White Behind Red, detail
The second day of working on the red went much the same as the first: many layers, finally being happy with what I'd done, realizing it was too dusty and wiping it all off. (I wish I'd taken a photo of the dusty surface to show you, but documenting it wasn't on my mind at the time.) By the third day I felt I had to try a different approach; it was almost as though the painting was insisting I try a different approach. Instead of the small brush, I used a larger one, and went back to a tried and true technique of building a solid surface: cross hatching, layers and layers of it. When the shape looked opaque, I then went in and worked some varied color on the surface, with a larger, #5, brush and a light touch. And that, finally, worked. The lesson in this for me is that I must not have a fixed idea as to how to proceed, but adjust my technique as needed, and as the painting seems to ask.
This painting did give you fits. It was worth the effort. I want to reach around the red to see what is behind.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a beautiful painting, Altoon.
ReplyDeleteWhat were the pigments (burnt siena?) I wonder if there's something electrochemical about its affinity for floating dust. Whatever it was, it sounds like a trial. Glad you worked through it!
thanks, Lisa, I love reading that you have a physical reaction to the painting, wanting to reach behind it.
ReplyDeleteand thank you, Susan. That's an interesting conjecture about the possible affinity for dust. It did seem odd that I had no problems with the upper part. I'll have to pay attention in future to see if this happens again when I use siena pigment.
It's bizarre, Altoon - on one level I can follow you completely then I try to put myself in your place & I read the problem differently. I'll tell you what I mean - the slight indentation a thirdway along from the left of the rectangle breaks the right/left reading & draws the eye to the slight insecurity of the just-off vertical ascending bars so in order to avoid too much falling away to the left top third the bottom right third has to be weighted by a more 'dense' use of colour. It's a great painting & there's so much perceptual information in it that it merits a lot of looking at. Thankyou.
ReplyDeletetony, I do follow what you mean. It wasn't until after I wrote the post and looked at the online image that I noticed that slight indentation that you mention; to me it looks like the vertical is pushing down on it. So I think I'll adjust it to make it straighter. Unless you think that would make the painting less complex....
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing the subtlety that goes into the thought process of a painting; the dance of brush and the dance of the mind and the work of bringing those together. I love the velvety quality that you've achieved with the red. With regard to Tony's comment about the indentation, a third of the way from the left--I think that it does add to the painting's complexity. To straighten would be to reach for a state at which you've already arrived.
ReplyDeletethanks for that input, Hannah; I guess I'll leave it as is then. I think we all have subtle and complex thoughts while working on paintings, but we don't always articulate them. Writing this blog has helped me to be more clear to myself, which is of benefit to my way of working.
ReplyDeleteReally inspiring process. And I am in awe that you had the patience to use a sewing needle! Think the version you ended up with is compelling. Not sure I am getting what you wanted but I believe the Fuzziness of the lower third is vital to making the upper part work.
ReplyDeletethank you, Julie, glad you like it. The sewing needle is most efficient for picking up dust specks; painting requires more patience.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I've used to keep dust off of a sticky oil painting's surface is this: stick a few toothpicks through a stiff paper (I used bristol board) so you're creating a "painting port." (You know, like a 'car port'...) Anything moving around in the air might still get under there, but it will reduce the 'settling' stuff when you leave the painting overnight. It looks like your image size is small enough that gravity tugging on the middle of the "tent" still wouldn't pull it to the surface.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the "dip" referred to, I'd wager it's straighter than you think, but the shadow area of the grey above the red and between the two bright highlights is causing an optical battle which makes it look more crooked than it may be. Kind of like this:
http://www.123opticalillusions.com/pages/wavy.php
DPL, thanks for the comment, but you must not have noticed: I paint with egg tempera, which dries immediately, so your interesting suggestion is not apt in this case.
ReplyDelete