Project 15. Journey, experiment and trials part 4 (oil trial)

Had my second sitting on my oil painting base on real life observation of my aluminum foil set up today. Did some glazes of yellows and reds on my initial under painting of cool greys.

Such a pleasure to glaze over warm colors over cool greys. Thin almost transparent colors gives way for the under painting to project itself through that layer and compliment each other. Also added darker even cooler greys to bring out the colors and some warm white for contrast.

PROBLEM:
Light changes instantly without me knowing. The moment I look again, everything is different.

SOLUTION:
Keep on adding what I see at the moment. Areas that I feel is sufficient for today's sitting will be left alone for next time.

As this project is about change and fleeting moments, I feel excited and privileged to observe this things closely and try to portray that fleeting moments in a blink of an eye. Pure beauty of life.

Project 15. Journey, experiment and trials part 3 (oil trial)

After my acrylic attempts on painting aluminum foil from real life observations previously which took 3 sittings to be completed on a 14x18" canvas, I feel the need to attempt it once again in oil. 

This time in oil, definitely more relaxing due to easy blending qualities but the fear of starting is still there. I planned out what I should paint and how I could be more productive in one sitting as I know eventually I can't do anything but to let it dry a few days before second layer.

I decided on grissaile underpainting of cool grey and ignore all colors reflected. Which is quite difficult because I always have to fight the urge to paint the tempting colors. I will place objects around the foil to reflect colors that I want for the particular painting. Example below:

I put a big tube of red and position it anywhere around the foil to give a reflection that appealed to me at that point of time. It will definitely change every minute or even seconds due to light changes from the window.

*Please note that this photo of aluminum foil does not reflect what I see in real life. Just an example of how I set up my subjects.

This too shall pass. Acrylic on canvas. 14" x 18". 2014

Added, "This, too, shall pass", what a wise word for ever changing world and ever changing life.
Embrace change, cause whatever material and physical shall falter in the end and only spirit shall live forever.

Project 15. Journey, experiment and trials part 2

Finished my first study of reflection on aluminum foil that I observed from real life. Done with acrylic on canvas.

The one below was what it looked like previously.

As it is quite impossible to finish the painting in one sitting due to high details, the painting took me 4 sittings of about 1-2.5 hours each time before eyes crossed and go out of focused or probably my brain runs out of gas with trying to figure out which part is which.

I painted by sections, if you have seen previously how I started, every section I painted, document different lighting as I sometimes paint in the afternoon and sometimes evening to sundown and also changed my positions in the studio so the direction of light from the florescent also alters. So it differs every sessions and my crumpled aluminum foil doesn't stay the way it is every time i store it. So I juxtapose each sections by estimation but each section is true to my observation and impression at that point of time.

I finished the whole painting with highlights I observed at that point of time regardless that it might differ in lighting and reflection previously when I started. But that's what still-life painting is all about; adapting to changes, problem solving and documenting the changes in the painting itself.

Really enjoyed this... looking forward for the next one in oil. Cheers!

Project 15. Journey, experiment and trials part 1

Project 15 is a documentation of an my artistic journey towards an exhibition organized by ARThaus which is probably going to be held somewhere around Mar 2015.

My aim is to create a narrative work about my personal worldly and spiritual views, my aspirations and desirable objects. I will not share yet what how I visualize my work outcome would be... but I will share my thought and technical processes.

Non of these documentations is edited except for cropping. The lighting is mainly from natural lights through the studio's windows and florescent lighting in the ceiling.

This is done with acrylic on canvas. I painted this from real-life observations on light reflections on still-life crumpled aluminum foil on the right, which is not shown in this picture. My purpose of this is to study reflective surfaces and contours according to different lighting and reflected color of objects around it.

This was my first step on starting this journey. I only use primary colors and I achieved this colors only through mixing.

The best things I realize from this first steps of my project is the constant light changes through the windows. The foil becomes a perfect documentation of mood and lightings, constantly reflect change. So it makes my painting process ever changing according to the object's reflections.

As I got on with it, the next thing I painted is never consistent of what I've painted just a few minutes before. Challenging, but super fun as I got to exercise my observational skills as well as paint characteristics as I move along.

Guess what I've found while clearing my closet...

I'm so pleasantly surprised at what I've found while clearing my closet, which desperately needed to be cleaned, my sketches from 5 years ago which is in 2009! How awesome is that? And I found my first 2 watercolor paintings when I just started to learn it which I assume is from the same year because they were piled up and folder together, hence the middle crease on the paper.

The portrait sketches, if I can recall, were done during boredom sessions when I was working in a shoe shop. Yes! I worked in a shoe shop part-timed while teaching art in another studio P/T as well previously before full on art-teaching ARThaus.

My watercolor works are amateur and quite embarrassing but I was learning, so, no fault in that. Cheers!

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