Rowan Berries agianst an intense blue sky
Building on my painting process which began with the Flourish Exhibition, I’d like to go through the thoughts and decisions behind a Cinderella painting which ended up going to the Ball – I mean to the wall!
Bunches of Rowan berries don’t last long around the orchard. Blackbirds feast on them well before the onset of the cold but there are always a few bunches that remain. I love the history and folklore of these magical trees and even looking at this photo I want to start drawing them. I want to share with you how I’ve responded to a particularly rough drawing. It’s helpful for me to review my own process because I’ve been surprised where it has led and don’t want to forget these stages!
Sometime last year I made a sketch (below) on a roughly prepared paper surface (approx A3 size). It was a rapid drawing, using black and sepia ink and dropper, sticks, soluble graphite and gesso. I liked the wild autumnal feel but overall it lacked compostion and any sense of space and was a tangled mess. I put it away and forgot about it until last November 2022, a few weeks before open studios at Paintbox School of Art.
Inky sketched drawing of rowan berries and leaves on paper
Having neared the end of the first term of the one year Professional Development course, I’ve learnt to look at things a bit more creatively. Christmas Open Studios were fast approaching and I wanted to apply what I had been learning by continuing to explore and experiment. Pulling this sketch out of the drawer seemed a timely challenge. I couldn’t make it much messier but I wondered whether I could introduce some clarity.
Nothing to lose by playing with paint and adding colour to introduce negative spaces
I mixed and applied a coppery green to complement the reds to begin the conversation. I then took photos at intervals, switching to black and white to simplify the view.
Black and white helps clarify where to work next
I find it helps me to work referencing my other drawings from around the orchard, for example the buds and berries of brambles which are all over the place. I like to lose myself in the painting by reminding myself of all those moments when I have lost myself before. It’s a curious mental dance between out there in the orchard and in here on the painting.
Blackberry – always poised to go go go
Can you see these green buds appearing on the painting below? Brambles cling on to life and bud almost all year round up here!
Still a mess – where do I go next?
This is the stage I find most difficult. Note to self: darken the darks, lighten the lights. Look to simplify and breathe space into places. Be bold. Define shapes. Bring in a new colour – blue to complement the orange. Darken the blue then lighten it. Let it skip over the whole.
By the way, Im painting with Sennelier acrylics and later adding highlights with Sennelier oil pastels.
Adding a warm mid-blue to compliment the orange
Another black and white reference check to identify where to bring in the lights
Into Paintbox studios for a review
Berries come alive against the pale green with the red oil pastel outlines
I was tempted to crop the painting into about four smaller compositions – which I did with some of these scanned images as I felt it was still too busy as a whole. However I decided to divide it into two which gave the paintings more room to breathe. Here they are framed on the wall of our three day open studio event. Anyone with eagle eyes will spot that I’ve also flipped it upside down! I continually turned the painting as I work and it settled direction late in the day.
On the wall at the Open Sudios, Cockenzie House, Dec 2022
What surprised me the most was how this painting had been waiting to emerge! During this process, I’d also thought about taking them a step further and using them as a springboard for new work on wooden panels. I will talk about this in my next post. I will close with some detailed images and thanks for reading.
Happy creating wherever you are,
Ronnie
Burst of feathery colour
Bottom part of the painting complete
Top half of the painting complete