Abandoned

I had more time today so this painting was slightly larger than recent work. I painted another abandoned house at Christmas time (here). Abandoned houses are a feature of rural Ireland since the 1848 famine, when the population dropped from 8 million to under 4 million in a generation. Its not uncommon for the descendants of Irish emigrants, whose ancestors left to find a new life abroad in famine times, to find the ruins of the actual house where their family lived.

The painting time was under 2 hours. Only 3 colours again. This time, Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre and Prussian Blue (plus black and white). Prussian Blur and Yellow Ochre produce the most natural greens. Prussian Blue is better in producing greens than either Cobalt or Ultramarine.

There were 2 experiments I tried in this picture. I tried to use a pen to apply paint, and, I dropped solvent on the surface of the painting to create random patterns. I then used the pen to cut channels into the wet paint to allow the solvent to flow and carry the paint. The objective of the exercise is to help in random shape creation and secondly, to find a method of applying very fine lines onto a wet paint layer. I think there are possibilities in both these areas. Watercolorists use washes and flows of water to suggest details and they also sometimes use a pen for fine details. Applying this to oils is something new for me.

As usual I have videoed the process and will have it for the next post. See you then.