I started working on the Old Man Deceiving The Artist tonight. This time it’s acrylic on canvas. I’m not quite sure where it’s going, actually. For something so simple and so primitive looking, it has taken me hours to get where I am.
There are bits I like and bits I don’t.
For instance, I like the top left side of the painting where the white blends into the pink and blue. I like the arm and how it changes colour. I like the right side of the painting, where the window and house are. I like the vibrancy of the colours – not ones I’d normally put together.
I dislike the faces – both of them. I don’t like the hair on the male figure, and I don’t like the black under the arm at the bottom of the painting.
So, I’ve left the painting for tonight. I’m too close to it and need a bit of breathing space. Hopefully inspiration will come tomorrow!
I think you hit the nail on the head with your statement about it taking hours. Primitive looks deceptively simple- but to do it well takes skill and time. You are doing well here. Keep going- you'll figure out those parts you don't like.
Thank you Pam. It's still sitting on one of my easels, and I still don't know what to do with it. It's a headache!
I think you are doing extremely well pulling this out of your head and emotions. I wonder if you don't like the blacks because there are no other hints of color in the blacks. I know, in watercolor, it is always best to have other colors evident in the black just as there are in your white in upper left quadrant. Maybe look at some other paintings done in this medium for how the black areas look in them? This is an extremely interesting project, Heather.
Thanks Leslie. It's the masses of black that I don't like. I don't mind too much the smaller patches or black lines, but I think you may be right that the black is soooo stark – there's no hint of other colour, but when you look at neo-expressionist paintings the black IS very stark. It just doesn't appear to be working for me, that's all! Lol. Nevermind.
I think it's very interesting, and I like the color combinations. To me it's Chagall-like.
Thanks Dan! It's still sitting on one of my easels waiting for me to decide where to go next with it. I will get back to it!