Thorn in my Background

While painting the Mollusca Femella series I struggled with the backgrounds – due to my lack of confidence with light colours ‘light’ within context to my past work.

After I had painted the subjects, using a very deep blue, I darkened the background. Subsequently the subtle colours of the figure disappeared. The focus of the painting became unclear. Thinking that if the figure was darker it would balance the painting, I exaggerated the shadows, only to immediately regret doing so and undid it. A few days later it struck me that it might not be the figure but the background that is the wrong tone or colour. Unsure of how I could rectify this I commenced a sequence of background painting, first warming it up, not liking that, I added the shadow of the subject by darkening areas around the shell. Unsure if this was working for the painting, I then left the studio to go home so that I may see it with fresh eyes the following day.

My background obsession went on for weeks, too warm, too cool. I even painted it gold at one point. I don’t think it occurred to me that neither the background nor the figure had to be dark. I forgot to look at the painting with fresh eyes and was holding on to what worked for previous paintings. After finally realising this it gave me the confidence to lighten it, using the same blue of the first lawyer with white and a dash of yellow. The lightening of the background was a very gradual process, but it slowly, surely started to fit the figure until we have the blue you seem now. From this experience I realised how timid I have become with the paint, I learned to not be afraid of it and treat the paint as if it were my friend.

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^ Mollusca Femella I ^

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^ Mollusca Femella III – Beginning > to > finish ^

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I hope you enjoyed this post!

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