Big Paintings
Friday Afternoon Tea, February 2020
Hello dear reader! Happy Valentines Day!
Today I wanted to talk about a move my work is making- towards BIG. I recently hung up my show at Friday Afternoon Teahouse in Wallingford (up through February 2020!) where I have my painting, “Elemental Storm” above two red chairs. During the opening people kept being drawn to this painting specifically, asking about it and gathering in front of it.
I had wondered: why was it that this one had gained so much attention? Was it because it was “framed” by the furniture, the placement in the room, or maybe it was the size? This is the biggest painting in the show, 24x48 inches, and it has very bold and saturated colors.
Maybe it’s all three of those things! Never the less, it inspired me to think bigger. The next day I went to my local art store and purchased three large scale canvases, all square in size.
The first turned into “In-between”
“In-between” 2020, Oil on canvas, 30x30 inches
Working bigger was really confronting at first! The little pile of paint I started with did not stretch into the next color like I wanted it to and I had a lot of adjustments to make.
Drawing the image was also a bit of a problem. The ratio between segment sizes when you are working small is easier to manage, but when the painting is bigger than you- the segments are much more noticeable.
For the second painting I made “Sunglasses On, Baby”
“Sunglasses On, Baby” 2020, Oil on Canvas 36x36 inches
This one was a lesson in “How subtle is too subtle?” I had painted this yellow to red gradient in the background and then played with keeping bigger shapes. Controlling the value and saturation painting this large is like herding cats. But I like how this turned out. Can you tell I’m missing summer?
I’m about to start the third canvas, which I have given a solid yellow ochre wash. I think this one will be more dynamic like the first, but with a subtle gradient center like the second.
What a fun problem to have!
Hope you are having a wonderful day~
Stevie