Roses with St. John’s Wort, oil on panel 10 x 8 inches
This painting is up for auction until October 3rd, 2019.
Painting in Private, and Following a Thread
I’ve been a bit quiet for a while.
As you probably know, I very often paint live, streaming on facebook and switching camera views, describing what I’m doing as I go.
If you’re interested, you can see all my past streams here.
But for the last couple of weeks, I’ve broken my usual habit and painted in private.
Sometimes you just need to withdraw when you’re working things out.
I’m not sure if it’s obvious from looking at my paintings, but my work is changing a little. At least, it feels to me that it is.
I’m working through some ideas and also through this change, so for the moment, I’m painting quietly, on my own. Just me and my cat 🙂
And it’s been nice. It’s been a little freeing. I’ve felt more able to to try things, make mistakes, and work them out.
So apologies if you’ve missed me popping up on your facebook feed now and again. I will be back soon.
But right now it seems that I’ve picked up a new Thread and I feel I need to follow it for a little while.
Some paintings I’m making now I’m very excited about. They seem to me to be pointing to something, and to have changed up a gear.
But my failure rate is about one in three. A little higher than usual.
I think perhaps that I feel this needs to be worked through without the possible influence of people watching.
Do I paint differently when I have an audience? I’m not sure, but I suspect I might.
So for now, my current experiments with light and texture are being made in private, although the results, of course – when they work out well – are still public.
I hope you like this one. I was very much concentrating on the flow of the light, and creating depth and life with texture.
I’ll talk more about this soon, when I’m more able to put it into words. At the moment, I can only do it with the brush.
Best wishes,
Paul
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Hi Paul. Yes, I’ve seen a shift and I like it! I think you’re a little looser,? I’ll be watching with interest. Are you still using Munsell as much? You’re an inspiration to me Judy
Thank you Judy!
Yes still very much using Munsell but less for direct matching these days, more for making sure my colours are consistent from light to shadow – especially when I change what I’m seeing for the sake of the design.
I would say I use the chips less intensively that I have previously, because much of that knowledge of the colour space of paint has become internalised mow and I’m much, much better at “eyeballing” colours – I think it works a bit like intense accurate drawing practice. The more you do it, the better you get at judging by eye.
I’m loving the new looser, free-er styles. Are you using palette knife or simply much more paint? Whatever, it’s working! Looking forward to more
Hm it’s hard to describe it all Karlene, some palette knife, yes, also building up texture with paper towels in the paint – whatever is to hand and might work, really! I don’t think I’m using more paint than I was, some parts are still very thin and some much thicker. But I’m probably layering a bit more.
One of the main things I try to concentrate on more now is the overall value balance, and I’m tending to move away from matching the value balance I see in favour of (hopefully) creating a more gentle but at the same time more convincing feeling of light. It’s helping me make tings work on what is for me a slightly larger format. Still very small compared to most paintings though 🙂
Big smiles
A beautiful painting. I agree about painting in private – the ideas and reactions are so deep when one paints and the internal dialogue coming and going . . . but your online painting works so well for others, I hope you continue to do both so we can see . . .
Extremely beautiful and delicate. Follow your voice wherever it leads!
Hi Paul. I love your honesty and it is great that you are breaking out of the box creatively and trying new things (and admitting your failures!) As always, your work is beautiful and expressive. Way to evolve!!
Thanks Sharon. I think it’s probably in our natures to strive to improve and find better ways to express ourselves – I suspect that’s actually why we’re drawn to painting in the first place.
And yes, the failures always happen, sometimes with greater or lesser frequency. They hurt but there’s often something useful to be learned from them I find.
Such a lovely painting! Thanks so much for so generously sharing your insights with us
Thank you Sandra! And you’re very welcome.
So wonderful to be able, as you are, to capture the fleeting gift of time.
Love the infusion of life-energy!
So good to see you ! The painting is beautiful! I hope your health is good! Please keep us informed of your works.
Lovely to watch your work maturing. Thank you
Thank you, Paul. Do you let it dry between layers or is it alla prima? How many days (or hours if that’s all it is) pass between the start of a painting like this and it’s completion?
The failure rate is good to hear. I try to “save” every painting but I hear from you and others, just destroy the fails or paint over them, letting them go and starting fresh is better for you than working on something that isn’t working?
If any artists here in the outside world are feeling like they miss or want more from Paul, I recommend joining the Threads group for studio skills demos and artist business advice. I joined a few months ago and definitely feel like I’m getting my money’s worth.
OH, and lovely painting!! Looks so appealing and also think the subject, Roses and St. John’s wart has a lot of symbolism and connotations with that pairing. (I love to see that little blue teapot or handled bowl (?) too.)
Hi Kathryn,
This one was done over several sessions, although some of them I spent much more time looking than painting! Yes, I let it dry between layers. Some parts of this painting you see the first layer, some parts are over painted two or three times (the background took a while to build up but the jar on the left was pretty much painted in one go).
I do try to make every painting come out well, but it doesn’t always work out! Sometimes knowing when to let one go and chalk it up to experience is difficult call, but when I feel a painting is gradually getting worse instead of better I start to think about learning some lessons from it and moving on 🙂
It’s a beautiful painting Paul.
Hi Paul, I’m new here. I found you by searching about Borgue drawings. Thank you so much for all this awesome info! I tried following the link to your streams but it said “not found”. Can you please share it again?
I am embarquing on a path of self directed, traditional, realistic/ academic painting and really appreciate the inspiration and processes you share here. Thank you! : )
Hi Stella, I would try the link again, it seems to be working fine for me?
Here it is again just case though:
https://www.facebook.com/paul.foxton.10/videos?lst=682462022%3A682462022%3A1569948245
And your’e very welcome! I do a lot of stuff live on Facebook these days so you might want to follow my personal profile (not my page) there. Also my youtube channel is here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/PaulFoxton/videos