Pigments, paint and...passion!

Another mad where-did-it-go week. Lots of test painting going on. Bought some more inks. I just can't resist those glorious colours. These were from Diamine, who make calligraphy inks right here in the UK. They're not lightfast so will be used only on work that will be for prints. As I acquire the rest of the colour range from Daler Rowney and Liquitex, I may find some that match these so they can be used for matted/framed work.

So, a pile of paintings on different surfaces, with a host of colour mixes; some successful some not so. People in the interior design world think that brownish colours (I used burnt sienna) should be mixed with blue. So I tried it. I actually loathe that combination but figured, maybe it just needs the right shade. Suffice to say, that is a mix you will never see in my home, or my wardrobe or indeed, anywhere at all. Just urrgh.

So here are a few - the post-its just helped me to really look at each piece and decide what was working and what wasn't. Then I could stop doing that particular thing and focus on the effects I wanted.

So, I now work with two tiny brushes and dip them onto the damp paper at the same time to get a nice blending at the edges instead of having to re-wet the paper after I've put on one colour, as the water soaks and dries really quickly. The arms are staying skinny - keeping it loose - firmed up outlines on one side only. Haven't quite decided about backgrounds - still. Bane of my life dammit.

Aand, while I'm trying to figure out one kind of art, I've come across a YouTube channel which has messed with my head a bit! It's Graeme Stevenson's Colour in Your Life and last night I happened upon his session with De Gillett. These videos are all on Australian artists and oh.my.gawd. Vibrant is the word we want here. The snapshots of De's work at the start (that portrait of an aboriginal with the most wonderful colours and light), and did I mention the colours? Ohhh. Well. There are a whole load of these for me to go through and learn from.

So - what's buggered up me brain? It's getting really hit with just how much more I want to be doing artistically. Oh, I started with dance cos that's what I know, and I love it. But. I want to do abstracts too (which I suck at right now), but there's so much stunning art out there, I don't get to see half of it, and I'm not anywhere near creating the kind of work I really want to be doing. I want to produce my own work that makes ME go aarrghhh and drool at the colours in it! I want to work bigger, brighter, bolder and and...

Oo that was a bit of a rant thing that came out of nowhere. That video def struck a chord with me didn't it! Which is good. Cos if art isn't getting you fired up then what the heck are you doing it for? Art is expression, emotion, passion or whatever, all things I've held in check for most of my life (never mind why - old story).

And that means I need a real studio space to be able to truly get going. I have a great room but it's where I live, eat, sleep and do art so there are limits to how far I can go without turning it into a totally out of control creative lab (fun) that is now unliveable in (not so much fun). And I need more time. OK. Fine. That's the goal. The plan. The seeding of an idea. Now to work towards getting it. On the Australian tag - mucho dream time as opposed to dreamtime. Different, though maybe not so different; isn't everything about creation and the source of things in the end?