Undulating Terrain

I have always enjoyed sewing and it was fun for me to combine that with my passion for painting.  These canvases were completed for the "Be There and Be Square" Exhibit at The Artists Gallery, a cooperative in Virginia Beach that I have belonged to since 1996.

The canvases were cut apart, stitched back together with some areas backed by cotton muslin.  A small slit was made in the areas that are backed and those areas are stuffed with polyster filling and the slits stitiched back together, sort of trapunto quilting style.

 
The canvas is then stretched onto a stretcher frame and each area painted with oils using shading and highlights to make each area appear three-dimensional.  The trick is that some areas are actually three-dimensional and some areas are flat, but are painted to look three-dimensional.  Each painting was placed in a floater type frame and they are meant to be hung as a group. 

Creating a Painting

Stuck inside with frigid temperatures and a winter cold is a great time for getting some painting done.  Recently, that was my predicament and I began a four part canvas, each panel 12" x 12".  The Artist Gallery that I am a member of is having a show this month entitled " One Foot Square".  I began the paintings by covering each with a neutral grey gesso.   I had recently taken a workshop with John de la Vega on "Improving Your Painting in Two Days" and that was one of the things that I adopted for my own paintings.  The grey value allows me to visually identify light and dark values and color intensity as I begin a painting.  Generally, I work from a  photograph as I did in this particular case.  When I work on a large canvas, my photograph, which is often cropped or in some other way altered, is divided into four sections as is my canvas, facilitating more accurate transfer of information.  The image is then drawn on the canvas with a brush and a reddish-purple oil color mixed with liquin.  Sketching the image with a brush is very important to allow freedom of movement and a sense of spontaneity and rhythmic quality in the final painting.  A thin layer of paint is applied to establish the color values and develop forms in the painting.  This is the most exciting part for me as I become totally immersed in the process.  The subject of the painting is completely forgotten and only becomes evident as the process precedes.  Subsequent layers of thicker paint are added layer upon layer.  Every stroke is important and has meaning for the final finished painting.