ASSIGNMENT FIVE

To submit a series of three to five paintings on a theme of my choice, the subject matter, approach & techniques being totally of my own choice.

‘Vessels in Three’

  Vessel I

Vessel II

Vessel III

As I’ve worked through the course I’ve come to realise that painting doesn’t come naturally to me, there are so many choices, styles and techniques and I’ve found it all a bit overwhelming. However one thing I’ve come away with is an understanding and appreciation that I gain most pleasure from painting still life and that I enjoy using both acrylic when using unconventional methods of application, as well as oil paint.

Knowing instinctively that I wanted to concentrate on simple still life compositions for my final assignment, I looked around for inspiration. It came in the form of a small off white jug with a blue heart which has a special meaning to me. I realised there are several other jugs, cups and vases that I hold very dear and so Id found the basis of my theme, ‘Vessels’. Three items in particular gave me inspiration so an initial idea of the number 3 combined with ‘vessels’ was born.

I’m very drawn toward natural forms, flowers, dried seeds especially dried Honesty seeds, mushrooms and dried Chinese Lantern seed heads. I see such a stark contrast between the man-made hard forms to the naturally born, grown and dried but I also love each item, their contrast, distinctiveness and beauty.

I did hesitate initially with my idea, knowing each painting would be both very different but all would be extremely simple in composition. Perhaps too simple I wondered. On further thought I realised it’s what I like, the objects themselves, the feelings they bring about and I dislike creating ‘pictures’, scenes depicting a whole, rather than a small snapshot from a scene. I also looked the art work I have hanging on my walls at home, mostly by different local artists & in varying styles, but all based around a similar simple theme. I realise its part of my nature, it’s what I like and therefore Id stay true to my initial concept.

I began my first painting (eventually to become Vessel II), using oil paint on canvas, concentrating my composition around my little blue heart jug. For some months Id been seeing a painting in my mind’s eye of  a pale bluish jug with honesty seeds and although this inspired painting was done in a slightly different colour palette and probably with a different third object, I was taken enough with the idea to mould it to my needs now.

I spent hours playing around with the composition and light positioning, more than Id ever done before. I created a quick working board of sketches, notes and ideas which I hung up in my working area. Finally I found what I wanted and it didn’t take long to get the ghost shapes onto the canvas.  I chose to use oil in primed canvas for this painting, stretching the canvas myself onto a pre-bought frame. Although I love the properties of oil and how they work for me, I also find it slightly frustrating, at certain stages having to abandon the work until the paint has dried either to some degree or fully depending on what I wanted to work on next within the painting. I have found this a challenge as it truly feels like I’m abandoning it and I struggle to re-engage with the painting the next time I come to work on it.

My second painting (later to become Vessel I) I decided to tackle my favourite mug. The mug was a birthday present some years ago and its a real hand comfort mug, sitting snugly in clasped hands, warming them as I breath in the fumes of whatever tea is in it. I wanted to explore the textures and properties of acrylic this time, knowing Id get a much better finish on the mug and other items. I chose a Gerbera and some mushrooms to emphasise the theme of 3 which was emerging to compliment my series.

Again, I played around with composition and light for what seemed like ages. Eventually settling for basic layout of the sketch on the right but one less half.

Throughout the course I’ve really enjoyed using cut up bits of credit type cards and immediately decided to use this form of application for this painting. I find laying the acrylic paint on with the card in very thin applications it dries quicker, in fact it dries before I’ve applied it and gives it a more sticky texture which in turn adds gives it a different feel when applying it.

I loved sketching in the shapes in paint and then getting to work on the mug and flower. Using Raw Umber, Raw Sienna I began layering thin applications of paint, quickly followed a by thin layer of a mix of Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue with Cadium Yellow. Again, because the paint is drying so quickly using this method I was able to drag a layer of paint roughly over the surface and thus ensure not every bit of the surface was covered. I think it really reflects the texture of the mug.

But that’s where the enjoyment ended. I found I had great difficulty getting the mushrooms, background and foreground to match the mug and Im still not happy with the final piece as I don’t think it really ties them all together very well.

For my final painting (which became Vessel III) I wanted to go back to oils, they are definitely my preferred medium. I had a final vessel, this time a small jug with a lovely speckled, rough texture, which was given to me by a good friend. Also Spring has now arrived and the daffodils have been very prolific this year so I wanted to bring them into this piece. Initially I looked at bringing two other items together with the jug, again mirroring the 3 theme but I really couldn’t get the balance right. After many hours of playing around with the composition I settled for the vase with 2 daffodils which technically is still 3!

Even after all the paintings throughout the course, I still feel very inexperienced regarding painting a simple still life but I feel this painting is the best and I’m continually improving. Throughout all the feedback from my tutor its been pointed out that my objects are not anchored well into the painting so I’ve tried hard to rectify this faults. However, its very difficult for me to see this fault until several months have gone by and I relook at the painting with fresh eyes. I’m learning that I prefer to work on a solid surface such as primed heavy-duty cardboard or ply rather than canvas. Some of the acrylic papers have interesting textures which I discovered at the beginning of the course and will go back to explore further.

So for this last painting I used a piece of thick primed card, initially applying thin layers of roughly scraped on oil paint and allowing it to dry before continuing. I found marking in a pleasing shape of the vase and flower much easier than it would have been at the beginning of the course. I deliberately enjoyed the roughness of the initial painting so strived to keep it throughout, minimising the amount if detailed brush work. I did find working with such a limited colour palette made it difficult to accentuate varying tones and shifts throughout the composition. As I progressed through the stages of this painting I realised it was the daffodils that were taking centre stage, that the vase was quickly becoming inconsequential, which considering it was the vase itself which inspired this piece. I’ve always loved Van Gogh’s texture on his flowers and emulated it now, accentuating and emphasising the flowers. It worked well in some previous exercises in this Part and it didn’t let me know down now.

The brief called for 3 to 5 paintings so I wandered whether I should produce more than the 3 paintings to date, however I’ve decided that these 3 paintings show well the various techniques I’ve learnt through the course, it shows how my skills and ability to ‘see’ have improved greatly showing a much improved realistic representation of the items. I can also begin to see my own voice appearing in these, there’s a distinct sense of style coming through even with the different techniques employed.