Neptune steps III-IV - I lost the spirit of the first pass... and probed deeper into the more conventional and ordinary!

The first pass was much more fluid, but I was caught off guard by the power of quinacridone violet. In my past experiments, I noticed that a ground made of acrylic paste works well when floating watery colors over it in a watercolor fashion. This time around, I did not like the dulling effect of paste when mixed with paint... and brush marks disappear as the paste shrinks! Too many new things at the same time!

This one, with a permanent light bulb over it, would be acceptable... at least, it's got the spirit of the men from Lascaux!

In retrospect, I would have been better off working on an orange background and go at it with a first and final pass "alla prima"... for the effect I wanted (abstract and figurative at the same time and pushing paint around as I do with my watercolor sketches). It's "partie remise"!

Note to self: "So far, working with multiple thin layers of paint on a textured underpainting done with a palette knife shows the best promise as an extension of my current style. For a more spontaneous alternative style, my next experiment will be to work " alla prima" (in the same way I do watercolor sketches) on a colored background using a stiff brush and mixing paint with gel as usual. I'd like to work both styles concurrently... until they mesh!"