Here is the latest painting of the White Series!
I have been in the studio- Whiting everything in sight.
It has been a fixation for a couple of weeks now and layers are develping in the build. They are changing into more sculptured works. Digging in with a paint knife and wide brushstrokes of medium, thinned paint., removing painted surfaces to expose the layers underneath. Just enough to taste what came before to make it what it is, now.
Each step to the next, sometimes only making sense, every other layer!
Trust became an issue. Trusting that although you feel nervous to gesture on the canvas, fearing that it may ruin what goes before it and then hold the faith that it is an integral part of the whole, that you just know is there, even when not quite seeing it at the time. Knowing you will.
Listening.
Doing what feels right to do without too much thought.
Intuitive guidance paramount to experiencing the learning at hand.
Literally 'at hand'. Hand and whatever tool comes naturally, a brush, a knife, and rag?
Then there is always the lesson with the colors. These past few weeks have been dominated with White. White paint of every type. Blended at times but always present.
The movement has been of scraping and layering, drawing and sculpting.
White,in fact, light colors are perfect for revealing and concealing...which I so love!
There is just enough of a peek of previous layers, to acknowlege the past but not let it dominate the current layer. It becomes structural as you know there may be 5 or 10 more layers to come. I won't know until I do and I'll keep layering until then.
Windows from the previous layers are still present. They allow a visual history.
Most of this series is at least 10 layers deep . They have already had a lot of lives. They have been worked on regularly for the past 5 years.
It's interesting to think of them as a living library in color, of the past. I can recall what was happening at a certain point in my life in the snapshots in the layers. Some very different color choices were made during the layering,and various techniques of painting, documenting their own discovery.
They are a diary of feeling, turned into vibration. The vibration is particular to each one. None of the paintings are the same, although turns out there are many threads. Each person will see them differently to myself and to anyone else.
I have played a couple of times with the new canvas's recently built also, but in an entirely different manner. It is very freeing and I have no plans.
I just paint on those canvas', when I feel the urge.
I'm really trying to stay focused on completeing the 'Story of White' on these long lived canvas's and seeing where the thread leads. I haven't got room to begin another series just yet! Paintings lean against every leanable surface in the garage/studio.
Keep you posted!