I've spent the last three weeks or so pushing on with my painting in response to the four day live online "Walking The Land" sessions delivered by Emily Ball and Katie Sollohub. During the last week - having taken a short much needed breather and some time out to review and reflect - I've revisited the sessions again via recordings.
I've been so sucked in to this project fully immersing myself in the process (there has been no time or inclination to blog although copious notes have been made!) I've experienced many highs and lows as I've been pushed and pulled in all directions breaking through barriers of both joy and pain in an attempt to (hopefully) move towards better and more satisfying painting...
The three weeks spent out in the pasture land beforehand fully connected me with my source material. The process of making over 100 studies and experimental drawings really loosened me up and encouraged me to look and respond in different ways which resulted in me feeling like I was just about ready for anything! This meant that I set out with an open mind and absolutely no preconceptions as to what form and direction the work might take - which was very helpful.
I did initially experience angst when things got really messy and I lost control of it all but then as I kept on working, starting new paintings, it all suddenly became a lot less precious and I began to feel a true sense of liberation in my working practice.
On the eve of revisiting the final recorded session I'm reviewing my work at this point. With about 12 paintings now ongoing I still feel like this is the beginning of something new. It still feels fresh and exciting like I've only just started to scratch the surface in order to reveal the true potential which lies underneath...
One of the most profound feelings I've had about this to date is that I'm beginning to see myself in my work - it is as if I'm revealing something of myself and how I like to view my subject matter & apply pigment in ways that are so familiar yet at the same time almost entirely subconscious and therefore surprising.
I've also fully recognised and at last feel able to embrace the importance of drawing within my painting. Being encouraged to include oil bars and oil pastels as part of my approach has allowed for this. In addition we were shown how to use a structured grid like drawing as a starting point / springboard for much freer painterly compositions. Below are examples of these starting points in charcoal and also a couple of "drawings" made in the pasture land which carry the qualities of painting as well. Reviewing my work at this point it is clear to me that this is a boundary I would like to work with and develop further the intention being to balance painterly abstraction alongside a more precise linearity and draughtsmanship.
The work below is a small selection of what I've produced to date. I've selected pieces that I feel might be "almost there" in terms of what else I can do with them. The other paintings in my "pile" are definitely ongoing requiring much future editing and reworking. All of the works are A2 on 300gsm paper in acrylic paint, oil bar and some oil pastel.
Clockwise from top right:
Movement and colour
Sound
Mapping a walk around the pasture
Form, structure, physicality
Exploring a colour palette - bruised sky, fresh green & Foxglove pink
Pushing for space and airiness
Movement and colour
