Repainting over something.

Without arrogance or hubris I can say that my painting, drawing and general art skills have improved. Whether they are good or not is open to debate but I have gotten better. That is to say that when I look at some previous work I feel that I could have done a better job of it if I painted it now or indeed I feel I can improve what is there.

In a few occasions recently I have totally started again by whitewashing the background and starting from scratch. However one thing that I apparently am good at is producing a background.

This is mostly accidental by spending far too much time blending and re-blending colours mostly because I have rushed and darkened the background too much.

As a result there are a few images where the background looks good but the forward lacks 'pop' or focus.

So I have begun revisiting some of these and repainting foregrounds or going over them or changing the composition entirely. This isn't something new, the first fruit bowl I painting was painted and repainted until I was happy with it (see below). Although it should be poined out that a later fruit bowl is a better image. However the change on a dry painting from several weeks ago is.

My point, if there is one, is that it is both an exciting and challenging task. Exciting because you may improve a picture and be happy with it once again. Challenging because what if the final result is worse?

I have used this exercise as a chance to practice a technique that I have used with watercolours and ceramics. Big bold base colour followed by lines to suggest what the object is. I think it works however I will also need more practice on this.

Probably on an old canvass?

Oils or acrylics, a personal view.

It seems that people either use acrylics or oils in painting.

Both of these mediums have their pros and cons and a quick search online will illiterate these better than I can. That also is not the theme of this blog.

I started painting with acrylics and I enjoyed the quick drying time however for reworking, fidelity of colour and ability scratch back through for sgraffito and impasto painting I decided to move onto oils.

Oils slow my working down significantly and this is starting to prove more and more frustrating. Also the extra hassle of prepping canvass and cleaning up using turps or similar rather than water seem to massively displace the advantages of slower drying time and better colour mixing.

I think I will switch back to acrylic for my next set of paintings and see if my mind changes again.

I also may start to move away from solely painting with a palette knife and maybe to more of a mix depending on the image. That said I do very much enjoy the knife, we shall see though.

Attached are pictures from today mostly in oils with a knife. Some have odd bits added with a brush and two are finished with acrylics on the oils.

Can you tell which though?

The Art So Far.

Below is a selection of my favourite pieces of art up to this point. At the minute most pieces are practice pieces but every once and a while I produce something I am really happy with.

All images are painted impasto with a pallette knife. Some include sgraffito in order to add depth and further texture. The images are not dated as they have all been painted this year (2016).

I hope you enjoy them, although if you don't please remember the Alan Bennett quote 'you don't have to like everything'.

'As yet untitled'. Acrylic on canvass.

'The unfinished hunt'. Oil on canvass.

'Another fruit bowl'. Oil on canvass.

'Lady in red dress'. Oil on canvass.

'Angel on the rocks'. Acrylic on canvass.

'From the flames'. Oil on canvass.

'Trees'. Oil on canvass (first oil painting).

'Still he struggles'. Oil on canvass.

'A fruit bowl'. Acrylic on canvass. This shows the stages of an incomplete picture up until I was happy with it.

'A lady Reclines'. Acrylic on canvass.

'Flowers for you'. Acrylic on canvass.

Thank you for your time. I hope to post up more as I complete them.

Chris