Ultimate fighter VIII - step I... experimenting on... primed canvas!

For a while, I've been thinking about the relevance of toggling back and forth between raw canvas and primed canvas to keep myself challenged and to remain on the path for artistic growth. After a year of using raw canvas, I have reached a pretty good level of comfort with it despite its relative "unfriendliness" as a support. It's a bit like walking on thick molasses but I love the watercolor feel when spreading diluted colors or stain. I went from a mixed staining/painting approach to total staining approach relying on walnut stain/chimney suit underpaintings for tones.

Today, I want to evaluate the impact of my newly developed raw canvas painting techniques on primed canvas. Moreover, my sister in law (an accomplished realistic painter) gave me a set of new acrylics colors from the US not commonly distributed in Canada, and after a few conclusive tests, I am very tempted to give them a try. This ultimate fighter scene in my back burner seems a perfect candidate...

I never thought I'd be using raw umber and raw sienna... but since they are semi-transparent, they fit the bill (my credo is "transparency"). My color selection doesn't have any blues but two purples instead. I decided to leverage this idiosyncrasy to create a different look... so far so good... I'm totally loose!

Note to self: "Ironically, I'm skidding around on this support from lack of resistance (it's like I've been training with weights)... I like the new painterly look and I will seek to replicate it when I go back to raw canvas! I'm after the depiction of movement, something that has been escaping me thus far..."

Subnote to self: "So much for deconstruction from pure realism... I prefer a one step approach!"

Hot summer day final - The need for a "reality check"!

This final pass became sort of an experiment in tone adjustment...

I didn't divert too much from reality with this one... and this, more often than not, is the case when I paint the "muse"! My desire to report this moment was stronger than my desire to push the limits and experiment... I'm a sucker for souvenirs!

Note to self: "After the last few paintings, it's time to go back to some deconstruction work with pure reality as a starting point. Deep down though, I want to go free style and invent a new reality rather than interpret an existing one."

Hot summer day - step II... Dripping over a boring area!

With this second pass, I'm still testing the ground on refraction...

I wiped out the drips hoping to bring some dirt over the white boards from the pier. The third step will reveal if I can max out on "blurriness" or not with this one!

Hot summer day - step I... Diverging but still in the same type of exploration!

Early this week, I played catch up with some minor house repairs to be performed before the fall. This year, it looks like we may go from summer to winter with no season in-between...

Experiencing withdrawal symptoms from lack of painting, I started this new one today...

...with the objective of leveraging the "refraction" phenomenon based on my previous experiments.

Note: I liked this pose from the "muse" as it reminded me of a famous Andrew Wyeth painting.

Still trying to digest "ultimate fighter VI"!

This week was a busy week responding to a health emergency involving my mother (thank God everything is OK with her) and helping the Muse with the grand kids. During the little free time I had, I took the opportunity to do some more research in the area of transparency and refraction. Funnily enough, I found my answers in a magazine dedicated to pastel painting. My main objective was to better understand what made the "ultimate fighter VI" painting different from anything that I had done before. Intuitively, I had already figured out some of the answers... but learning how an artist could make pastel layers look transparent was a definite eye opener for me!

More than ever, I want to forge ahead in this new direction for me... cultivating the elusive and blurry!

Ultimate fighter VII - final... Attracted by what's elusive!

Although I've been thinking too much for my liking while producing this one, the "elusive" image is definitely an avenue that I want to further explore...

These images can be made much more abstract by changing the point of view. I want to reintroduce bold textures in the future, but in doing so, I want to be selective and use them as "props" to detach the observer from the reality that I'm depicting...

Note to self: "My recent objective is likely to take more than a few paintings to achieve... so I'd better brace myself!"

Ultimate fighter VII -step II... a total wipe out!

I'm still experimenting with paint application with this second step, strategically wiping out paint here and there after each application...

 I lost some valuable darks as I got carried away with this new technique (for me!)... but I realize that each application adds character!

Through my experiments over the last few months, I'm really looking at developing a distinctive style and a painting process that excites me while providing me with even more freedom than before. Ultimately, I want to stop thinking while I'm painting! The plain rendering of values at the underpainting stage is a step in that direction. Applying fluid paint or fluid textures over a "grisaille" underpainting becomes a "no brainer". Dripping and splattering introduce an element of chance which also falls in line with this kind of thinking. Hey, I'm still thinking!