Step by Step

The first step in this new technique I'm using is to apply a thick coat of tinted plaster that I've mixed with thick medium to allow for some flexibility.  The difficult part is the drawing of the subject that, in a way, is sculpted into the plaster before it dries.  Here are the results of this first coat.  This process takes approximately 4 days to dry.

It is only after this coat has completely dried and I've applied a thick coat of Clear Gesso that I am able to proceed with the paint.  I use Acrylic paint mixed with thick medium.  This process takes approximately 4 days to dry.

In this series the background base colour is Prussian Blue mixed with some Sap Green at times and/or Bright Aqua Green or Light Emerald Green.  I lighten the colour with Titanium white if needed.  I use a thick bristle brush so i can get into the grooves of the texture at first, and then with a slightly different mixture, I apply a light surface coat to allow the undercoating to show through.  I repeat this throughout the painting that can take up to 3 weeks.  I imagine, because of this 20 x 30 size, it will take me at least until the end of the month.

 

next week, I begin with applying coast of paint on the apples themselves.  See you then.

Knowing when to stop

It's difficult to know when to stop painting.  You can keep on going until you obtain photorealism.  This was not my intent.  This is my attempt to produce an Impressionist painting.  Although I used mediums that were not available during that period, I now have more appreciation for Van Gog and his thick application of paint on canvas.  The idea is to capture the mood of the subject and not necessarily the likeness of the subject itself.  At least, that is what I have learned in this exercise.  This week I touched up some details and color/tones, I applied a final varnish and decided that there was no point in adding anything else.  The painting and the "mood" is represented and it is complete as is.

Please let me know what you think. 

Lynn

The "Apple".

As a child, we all remember being so proud when our first drawn fruit, the apple, was recognised by others.  A simple circle (2D) and a line (1d) and an apple was created.  How magical.  And then there was no stopping us. The sun rose high with shooting rays...  We all lived in a square cabin with a single door and window, with Mom and Dad who were giants with oversized brains...  And then something happened.  We could not see behind the apple. (3D)...  How could we represent on a sheet of paper (2D) something that had mass and weight...  We stopped imagining, We stopped the magic... 

In this blog, I will endeavor to recapture some of that magic by blocking off 4 hours a week and study the subject of the apples by representing it in drawing, paintings, scultures and any mediums. 

My goal, with your help, is to be able to define my Artist Statement and personalise my Artistic Approach.

I hope you will follow along and help me recover the magic and rediscover the "Apple". This is My Apple Project.  Welcome.