Ultimate fighter X - step I... Keeping the momentum going... with "the blur"!

I wanted to get to 10 works with this series, so I set the stage for the 10th one this afternoon....

I'd like to follow suit on the previous painting when it comes to creating a blurry rendition...

Ultimate fighter IX final ... edging my bet in the pursuit of "fuzziness"!

For some reason, throughout this third pass, I naturally evolved towards the combination of both refraction and brush strokes to obtain the desired blurry effect...

My natural tendency over the last few years has been to indulge in the use of vertical strokes with either the palette knife or the brush. Why fight it! This new development is setting the stage for next year.

Note to self: "I got caught in my own game... brush strokes do matter for me!"

Ultimate fighter IX - step II... Testing multiple layers...

These days, I spend more time outside the studio, trying as much as possible to enjoy the last days of Indian summer in Quebec. I did take the time though to slap another coat of paint on my work in progress...

Not much to write home about... but I'm counting on multiple layers to give me what I want in terms of color nuances and character. Meanwhile, the fellow on the right will be getting progressively larger... as a counterbalance to the originally bulkier fellow on the left!

Note to self: "I don't seem to care anymore about my brush strokes... slapping paint right, left and center... as it goes. Could this be the beginning of truthful art for me!"

Ultimate fighter IX - step I... trying to adapt my raw canvas techniques to primed canvas...

Pursuing this "ultimate fighters" series, I selected this typical confrontational scene this morning to further test the grounds with primed canvas...

Instead of using my usual chimney soot/walnut stain mixture for my underpaintings on raw canvas, I wiped a mixture of raw umber and ivory black on this primed canvas. I want to see if I can build up on what I've learned from the previous painting.

The first color coat led to this fairly visceral version...

Note to self: "Working on primed canvas brings to light what I miss from raw canvas.... and vice versa. I need both!"

Ultimate fighter VIII final... trying to deepen my understanding of refraction and movement!

With this final pass, it suddenly dawned on me that refraction is much easier to achieve on primed canvas than on raw canvas...

Achieving refraction from one layer to the other depends on everything (paint and medium) not sinking in the fabric. Needless to say, I will need to readjust my methods slightly with raw canvas.

My mission statement stipulates that my aim as an artist is to depict beauty, power and movement using the human form as a basis for expression. At the early stage, 4 years ago, I was attracted by the depiction of female beauty. This year, I really wanted to emphasize power (static power?)... perhaps some sort of an ego trip on my part! With my recent experiments on refraction, I see for the first time an opportunity to depict movement. On thing is for sure, going from raw canvas to primed canvas is like shedding 100 pounds... my paint velocity has dramatically increased!

Update: This is the stretched version below. Ironically, I find the buckled version more interesting... also, from a distance, the first step version had qualities that this one lost along the way... and this is giving me food for thought in terms of future paint application...

Note to self: " I seem to have gobbled up a fair number of styles and methods over the last 4 years... question is: is this finally THE avenue for me? This prospect excites me... at least for now!"

Sub note to self: "Transparency has remained the common thread in my work.... and the one pass painting has never been so close... just like doing watercolors!"

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."