Friday, May 17, 2013

Finally a Canvas

I finally took the leap and took all that I learned in my art journals to a canvas. My first canvas without a pretty picture to guide me, but straight from the heart onto the cloth.


I could take it further, as I thought I would do last night, but I like how she looks. I like the suggestion of her and the transparancy of the painting. I like that she leaves room for imagination. I see many things when looking at this. I like that it's messy and grungy and clean and pure all at the same time. She looks sad and insecure to me while I see strength and confidence, all at once. I see a man in the darkness lurking behind her and a face staring down at her.

I guess I see me when I look at her. Dark and light all blended together. It makes me wonder what other people see when they look at this painting.

So yes, I think I will leave it as is, maybe some touch-ups and details here and there and my name and date off course when I feel I'm truly done with it.

It was fun making this painting. I used a lot of techniques and it has a ton of texture. It is also very interactive, because I used the input from my friends and family for the various steps. I loved reaching out this way and I loved the responces I got.
And because of this approach I have lots of progress pics to show you.

I started out with a canvas I had lying around in the attick. It had been painted before and since I didn't really like what was on it, I painted it white. So it already had a lot of texture. First I took some blue and scraped it on, just to get rid of the white.


Then I asked my son what color I should use next, to keep it random and perhaps to keep me from taking the colors I always tend to use. He told me to use orange.


So I used orange and scratched all over the painting with a wooden skewer and wrote down that he told me to use orange. That was fun.


Next I applied some pink with stencils and scraped the rest on it.



I did some light blue over it and used my heat gun to create bubbles.


As I just got some new Daler Rowney Acrylic ink, I obviously had to use that.




I loved that, but I did feel I went sort off overboard with that, so I muted it all down with white.


That's when I thought I would make it into a little experiment. To play a game with it, so I took it to facebook and asked my friends what color or technique they would like to see next. I got lots of responses.

So I put the painting on the floor and tried to keep up with what was suggested. It actually gave me, the painting and the floor quite a scare...but it was a lot of fun.


I'm afraid I only took pictures with my phone of these stages. 

After I recovered from this little interactive game and all the mess I made was cleaned up, My daughter and I had some fun collaging some bits and pieces to it with some golden matt gel medium. While taking one last suggestion, for the color red, from facebook into account.


Still only a phone picture. 

I still hadn't decided which way would be up, so I turned the painting all around, staring at it, trying to see what was in there.

This is the orientation where I stopped. Can you see what I saw when I looked at this? Or do you see something completely different?


This is what I saw. I outlined it with some red soft pastel.


And filled it in with white gesso, fairly watery and with strong loose strokes, trying to stay tranclucent. Still thinking I would take the next step. I added more drippage and smudged it all out somewhat.





So there she is in the midst of chaos. An almost ghost like creature and I like her. I like what she represents, the questions she brings to my mind and I like how she got there.

I hope you like her also, and I would love to hear what questions or thoughts she brings to your minds.

Thank you so much for watching and I wish you all a beautiful weekend.

Linking this to:

30 comments:

  1. A fabulous piece of art, love the layers and colours and the way you took an interactive approach encouraging the viewer to decide. Thankyou for submitting such a wonderful piece to the eP challenge x
    Toni

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  2. Stunning! Such an amazingly beautiful piece! Thank you so much for sharing the different steps you took to create your piece...it's amazing! And thank you for playing along with the eclectic Paperie challenge!

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  3. This is a fabulous painting, really well done! Valerie

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  4. Wow!!! What a journey!! This amazing piece really came form your soul!!!
    It is beautiful and scary all at the same time. Thank you for sharing it with us :-)
    I just keep looking at it....

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  5. loving all the fabby layers of paint.
    Happy PPF, Annette x

    http://nettysartadventures.blogspot.co.uk/

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  6. what a really amazing progression of utterly fantastic layers and color-wow!!! Happy PPF!

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  7. gorgeous canvas. Crazy how it came about with input from others - what a fabulous idea (but very scary!). Love the girl, she's very mysterious I think each time she is viewed she will say something different - reflecting what is going on for the viewer at the time. absolutely lovely - so glad you linked it at eclectic Paperie!

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  8. Such an exciting post!! Fabulous watching your textural experiments...and wow!! What results, can't wait to see where the canvas goes, so happy to be following you.

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  9. Monique, this is gorgeous! I think it was a very wise decision to leave the portrait as it is right now! It gives the beholder the possibility to see whatever he or she wants to see.

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  10. So much color and texture, a treat for the eyes! HPPF!

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  11. you have had so much fun with this all the stages... there is nothing like throwing paint around and then working back into it... it is such fun...xx

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  12. I like going through stages with the artist and knowing what he or she is thinking or NOT thinking so thank you for this. I like it as it is but I am sure if you went further, it would get even more awesome! Patsy

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  13. Simply marvelous. Love that you shared all your layering technique. Wonderful being. Happy PPF

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  14. Thank you all for your lovely comments. I'm glad you like my little experiment. I'm still leaning toward leaving it as is, but who knows, maybe I feel something completely different in a week =).

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  15. I like all the layers. I have done a main blank face in the past and what I do is print them off and then do all different expressions on the face. Happy ppf

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  16. wonderful!

    applauding you for taking the great leap. I love your process and the way you shared it.

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  17. That's a great idea Lorraine, I think I will try that =)

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  18. Very very beautiful Monique.

    greetings Janny

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  19. I think this is stunning - so enjoyed seeing your creative process..thanks so much for sharing with us at FSC...Esther xx

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  20. awesome leap! looks like you had a blast with it!

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  21. True, true, amazing art. Thank you for sharing at FSC!

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  22. I really love your grungy background...so much to look at ♥ and because of that I love the whiteness of her silhouette beneath all that yummyness...she can took what ever she want...she is free ♥ Conny
    http://piaromsartjournaling.blogspot.de

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  23. I love all the detail you have created in this fabulous piece of art Monique. This portrays a real free spirit to me both in shape and movement and in the transparency of the figure. I love it.
    Thanks for visiting me and leaving a lovely comment on my blog.
    hugs {brenda} x0x

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  24. Your painting is fabulous - I loved going through the process with you. I appreciated it even more when I saw how the painting evolved. I think you are off to a great start on canvas - and such a large one! Brave woman. HPPF

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  25. I think it's awesome. I know how scarry it is to go from journal to canvas. I still tremble, lo. Your canvas is truly awesome. I love all the layers and the colors and it is totally beautiful. Thanks so much for playing along with the eTeam.

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  26. Thank you all for your sweet comments.

    I actualy have made large paintings before on canvas, but I always used an image to guide me. Maybe I will post pictures of those on my blog sometime, but they are definitely different, as most were made for my kids rooms. Although still very textural as that is the way I like to work with acrylic paints.

    The "scare" for me in this project was not so much the size of the painting, but the not knowing where it was going or what I was going to make.

    But, as I found out, it's ok to let go of control =).

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  27. Amazing layers of colour and texture - superb! Thank you so much for sharing this with us at eclectic Paperie!
    Alison x

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  28. A really beautiful creation.
    Thanks for joining in with our FSC Anything Goes challenge.
    Fliss x

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  29. Fabulous canvas! I loved seeing all the steps you took to create! Thanks for sharing and playing with eP! :)

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  30. I loved every step you took on your journey and I honestly wish I could reach out and touch all the beautiful textures you created..a work of Art indeed!!
    Thanks so much for playing over at the eP blog.
    Hugs
    Tracy xxx

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