Nearly a third of the way through summer, I have nearly completed my first two paintings! Having started the break with the first half of my investigations done and my compositions selected, I gathered my materials, set up my oil paints on my hometown porch, and jumped right into production mode.
For reference, here are the two images I started with.
Right away, my first obstacle was working on an unfamiliarly large scale with 36’’ by 48’’ surfaces. Here, I turned to the advice of my mentor Carrie Ann Baade, and began a process of preparing my canvases by coating them with multiple layers of gesso, sanding them each time, and beginning with an acrylic underpainting- mixing my desired color with gesso for the final preparatory layer. Next, I used a small projector to get my bearings on the composition, using removable white chalk to describe how space would be divided on the canvas. I filled in the largest of these spaces with acrylic paint, and at last began applying oils to the surface. I had aimed to complete two paintings per month over the course of summer, and I decided to paint both concurrently, switching between the two anytime I began to feel stuck or unfocused. This kept me engaged in the process.
Here are some early progress pictures.
As I worked towards the details in each painting, I decided to experiment with stencils to imitate the use of repeated video game assets in the reference photos. To do this, I isolated parts of the images in Clip Studio Paint using color gamut, and imported these selections into Cricut Design Space to be traced automatically onto card stock.
Here are a few of the results!
The creation of these two paintings has proved exciting! Having the opportunity to set my own deadlines and focus all of my attention on the creation of art without other courses has been very fulfilling. Here is my progress as of the day this is written!
In the month to come, I expect my greatest hurdle will be preparing the images produced by my explorations into physical space. I intend to create an array in p5 and use java script to create distorted collages of my physical surroundings to complement the broken video game landscapes that comprise the first half of the series. My greatest concern is that these automated collages may not resonate with their counterparts as I hope they might. If the image pairs cannot be easily recognized as fundamentally related, then I will need to adapt my image preparation process. If necessary, I intend to import my new images into Clip Studio Paint to experiment with new compositions and effects. I would also like to look into incorporating 3d software into these experimental collages, as I believe that doing so may create harmony between each physical space painting and virtual space painting.
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