Show and tell March

The perennial questions which crop up so frequently are “where do I go from here?” and “will I spoil it if I add/subtract at this stage?”. The painting is unresolved and either the fear of failure creeps in or we have just hit a brick wall without knowing how to get over it, round it or even under it to get to the other side. That’s when these sessions become an invaluable support structure providing lateral problem solving ideas and sharing common experiences. Thus enabling us to face the fear, regroup our thoughts and set out again with renewed confidence.

Jackie presented her dramatic, emblematic abstract paintings containing similar colours, marks and symbols. Jackie thought that the energy of each painting differed as the first was relatively static compared to the second which had more movement. Her question was how to make them respond more closely to each other.

Suggestions were transparent glazes on both and thin white washes scraped into painting number one, replicating marks on number two. Thus working on both and bringing them towards each other.

Sumi brought out the lovely collaged painting whose construction involved many

hand painted squares on transparent paper with visible brush marks. These were put together or overlapped forming an abstract composition of shapes in various pale and

pastel colours. The piece had an essential pale and delicate quality to it yet also the

brush marks gave it texture. Sumi was questioning the balance between light and

darker areas and marks. A simple suggestion to change the format from landscape to square offered a surprisingly simple solution.

As with Jackie the way forward was thought to be do more of the same which is already

effective. Look at what is working well and use your work as your reference for the next

step.

Borrowing an idea from Sumi, I had stuck photocopies taken from my large “Autumn”

painting into my sketchbook. These had been halved then collaged together making

one an all over darker image and the other an opposite all over light piece. The method

of using photocopies for composition purposes was a good talking point.

We then discussed my proposal to paint over an old metre square work which is a

mixed media work including fountain pen inks. The options of preventing seepage

from the inks were considered and helpful solutions found.

I like the business of problem solving and collective problem solving is even more

affirming for me and hopefully it was so for everyone else there last Monday.