Flying Girl Sails Rough Waters, or Life is an Epic Tale

Flying Girl Sails Rough Waters, or Life is an Epic Tale
3/5/09
Golden Fluid Acrylics on paper 5x8"

This is the painting I was having trouble with last night... and the night before. And this morning.

I think I'm finally done with it. It needed bazillions of layers of paint. And it turned out to be a lot brighter than I thought it would be. It reminds me of summer. It also reminds me of the dress that I posted about here. Well, it used to, before one of those layers of paint I was talking about kind of altered the floral pattern.

I've been really into layers of paint, lately. I like the combination of colors, the subtlety of nuance, the tactile pleasure of texture.

Not only do I like layers of paint, I like to paint with my hands.

Oh, I use brushes, but I also rub the paint in with my fingers. I often take off more paint than I put on. Well, almost as much. The layers, sheer or opaque, give different feels according to how they are mixed, layered, rubbed off, blended. I can use the same colors in two different paintings and get completely different feels and effects.

I'm finding that I like a contrasting under painting, but I haven't quite figured out which color combos go together. And I really don't know how to paint with yellow so that it doesn't overwhelm the other colors. This painting was much too yellow this morning. Much. Looked like an alien shore. I wanted it to feel sunny and warm, but it went too far. Anyone have any suggestions for managing yellow-- this so so sunny color?

This painting started with a green under painting, although you could hardly tell by the end product. I think orange might have been better. But in the end, it looks pretty sunny to me.

One thing I noticed also is that I like different layers of dark and light. I like getting dark paint in the cracks of a lighter underpainting. And I like to put multiple sheerer washes over a light underpainting... although those two techniques give it a different feel. And I'm finding different colors, contrasting maybe, work better than colors all in the same family. I need to experiment with using analagous colors vs complimentary colors.

I am out on the shores, here. I don't know about the academic thought on these layerings or how to treat the medium. I once read a book on layering oils, but I never had the time, space or patience for it. Can oils be ground in the way I work the acrylics? Not sure I would want the pigments on my skin. Hm. Maybe I should be concerned about the acrylic pigments.

I'm totally on an adventure with Flying Girls-- in both her narratives and my painting. I've never done anything this involved, this continuous, not with art. Oh, I've written novels... which, come to think of it, this almost feels like. With themes and characters and supporting characters (like the cat or the house or the key) and the kind of chapters. Writing every day, painting everyday. Following the main character through her world.

It's all a very interesting process. I don't know where it's going, but I'm enjoying the challenge.
Off on the voyage, searching for answers, for treasures, for meaning. Is this part of the tale?

Yeah, I think so.