Paint Party Friday – more experiments with acrylics

Paint Party Friday

I actually managed to do some painting today! I didn’t complete what I started out to do, but I have made good progress and a painting is emerging.

Dianella - work-in-progress
Dianella
, work-in-progress, acrylic on board, approx. 400 x 600 mm.

It is the biggest painting I have attempted since I started this art adventure last year, so it is taking a little time. Eventually it will be a rendition of Dianella revoluta, a local species known as a Flax Lily. It has brilliant blue flowers hanging upside down over thin strap-like foliage. I will be adding some flowers to the composition once I have the leaves at a satisfactory level (they are still extremely rough in this picture, very much early days in the painting process). Although I love the flowers, it was actually the foliage that attracted me to do this painting. At the base of leaves they join together in…oh, crap…I just realised that I haven’t done it correctly. Hmmm…oh, well, thank goodness this is acrylic, I’ll be painting over part of this, or maybe just adapting to fix. Anyway, I was attracted to the colours in the leaves. They shade from a dark green through to an almost yellow and then each leaf has a fine red-brown lining to it. I’ve exaggerated these aspects in the painting, because I like them so much.

I’ve also done some more experimenting with the glazing effect I discovered in my last painting and I’m finding it really useful. If I glaze repeatedly, it gives that extra bit of depth to the work. I will be experimenting more.

This painting is intended to be part of my Black Forest Project.

I also did a little more on my Red Parrot Pea watercolour this morning (I can do that inside while watching the kids…if they let me), but it still has a way to go. I have a lot of WIPs sitting around my art desk at the moment. I think it might be time to finish some of them.

Anyways, please make sure you drop by Paint Party Friday to check out all the other inspirational peeps in this wonderful challenge.

Best wishes,
Liz
(almost asleep at the computer again)