Blue Christmas

In this painting I used my usual method of applying unmixed paint, with White Spirits only, to the canvas before the final colours are overlaid. Actually, now all the paint is applied with White Spirits only (see recent posts about excess oil in paint tubes). The difference is that unmixed paint, straight from the tube, is transparent and in its raw state is as vibrant as the colour will ever be. This layer of unmixed paint is good when deciding the structure the painting will take. Its like colouring the initial charcoal drawing. Although this layer of paint will mostly be covered up, it has an enormous effect on what happens later on.

Knowing the ‘coloured sketch’ will be covered allows experimental shapes and ideas to happen. Even in the blue gradient of the sky, the initial blue erratic shapes add interest and variety to an otherwise dull flat final layer. I will often under paint in the opposite colour to the final. For example, in the areas I knew were going to be snow in shadow (very light blue) I under painted in Raw Umber. This moderated the later light blue paint by slightly mixing with it, and any parts not covered by this ‘snow’ had ready-made deep shadow or vegetation.

The colours used were Burnt Sienna & Raw Umber (red part of spectrum), Raw Sienna (yellow) and Prussian Blue. As always black and white are there too, but they are not considered as colours. The painting took about two hours over the course of a Sunday afternoon. The weather is so cold now, the excess solvent I use is taking a long time to evaporate. So a two hour painting stretches to four hours.

I will post the video soon. See you then.