Here is my experimental process for the resolved Abstract work in Module 3.
I began with a written paragraph about a free spirited woman, with a wash of olive green over the top, using glad wrap to ‘pull’ the paint while it dried. This is a technique I learned from Tricia Reust during the Friends of McGregor Summer School at USQ in 2016. Its a nice feeling to have broken up the stark white canvas so quickly with some lovely organic shapes and lines.
I then applied masking tape (the blue painter’s tape works best) in a slightly random hatching pattern and painted my first transparent colour, yellow. Each time I allowed the paint to dry, it gave me time to consider my next move… Also known as percolation. Time for coffee!
Allowing it to dry, I then turned the canvas and applied more tape, next painting magenta. Same again, then green, same again then blue. I quite like the effect of all those layers mixing together and having the light shine through where the masking tape has been. This use of layering transparent colour is a method I learned from Teresa Mundt duing a weekend workshop at the Toowoomba Art Society.
My concept was to create tension in the artwork by applying a pattern grid of the original colours, to contrast against the random/ more organic application underneath, so I measured and masked out the squares with more tape.
The result – I definitely feel the tension between the two opposing styles. I much prefer the free style application but maybe some would prefer the more rigid pattern… Which do you go for?
