July 3, 2019
490mm x 390mm
Acrylic on Canvas

Lately I’ve been finding it terribly instructive and interesting to paint the same subject twice, one right after the other. These two are a good example. Both are in the same color value range and both of the same scale, etc.

July 3, 2019
490mm x 390mm
Acrylic on Canvas

The second one is indicative of how I’d usually approach such paintings. The previous is working on a different sort of paint handling. The idea is to judge the meaning and value (not in a color sense) of the brush strokes and how the paint sort of speaks – and what about. To home in on the differences a bit more, I’ve added a couple images that are focused on where there’s variance or where I feel the paintings diverge from each other.

With this method, for me the true character not only shows itself with the selection and application of color but even more so the story happens when the colors of the background and foreground meet. Everything in the painting’s world balances on that. The two portions describe each other at the point where one comes into contact with the other.

I’d also like to point out that the quality of canvas can have impact much more than what you think, especially when you hang greater amounts of paint on it, as referenced between painting one and two and the ripples in the former. I’m sure at time of mounting that’ll get sorted out, but that’s the other thing that can be learned here: the heavier the canvas, the more stable the painting. I should have remembered that from college.