A New Painting: "Bristles"

Bristles, egg tempera on calfskin parchment, 6 x 7 3/4 inches.

Wide cylinders of bright bristles were stacked along a fence at a dairy farm. I had no idea what their purpose was, but I did know that I loved the image, a very unusual one for me. The repeating rounds, the deep central hole, the thin lines radiating unevenly from centers, were all a visual delight.




You can see something of the layering of lines of different value and color in this enlargement. I realize that this amount of detail must look as though painting it was a daunting prospect, but it was actually quite simple because of the qualities of egg tempera. Tempera dries immediately, and it can be a very crisp paint, which allows me to use rapidly layered brush strokes. I paint the darks first, then add mid-tones then lights, often going back and forth until I'm satisfied. It is also simple to glaze color –washing a thin layer of a darker hue over a lighter – which makes it very easy to adjust tone and color. I don't even use very tiny brushes; the lines in this painting were painted with a #5 round synthetic bristle brush, and I moved my hand quickly, not at all deliberately; it is more like a lively dance than a slow march. I realize that in a previous post I'd admonished myself to slow down, but in the case of these bristles, working too slowly would have deadened the work.




I thought I'd show the painting after I first washed in some color. I used to do a black and white ink under-drawing for my egg temperas, but for the past couple of years I have abandoned that practice. I begin very broadly, with the general shapes and colors in place; I then gradually refine the drawing, using a pencil and ruler when needed. I sometimes feel as though I'm actually making a "thing" as I paint, bringing forth something visually solid from the flat panel surface.