This project shifts us into abstraction mode, challenging you to capture the essence of part of natural world through colors, shapes, patterns, etc. To convey the characteristics, or "personality", not to focus foremost on its realistic appearance.


What's going on there is that it's a seascape being painted on a red colored ground. I've been wiping excess paint from the brush in the "sea area" as I've painted the sky. I do this instead of wiping it on a cloth or piece of paper towel to avoid wasting it. I'll ultimately want blue in the sea, so why not use this now already, even though I'm focusing on the sky?
Be sure that the mark making is relevant to whatever will ultimately be painted in that area though, otherwise you'll end up fighting against it. Another option is to wipe your brush on a blank canvas, to create a colored ground on that.
See Also:
What is Meant by Mark Making in a Painting
Advantages of Painting on a Colored Ground Rather Than White
Image © 2012 Marion Boddy-Evans. Licensed to About.com, Inc.
"Starting a painting is like embracing someone, you just fall into it."This was the answer given by the tutor during the expressive-landscape workshop I was on last week when someone asked how you decide where to start a painting. His solution: don't overthink it, you start doing it somewhere, anywhere, and respond to the doing thereof. Like when you have a conversation, you set off in a particular direction but don't know everything that's going to be said in advance.
-- Art historian and tutor Patrick Oates
Photo © Marion Boddy-Evans. Licensed to About.com, Inc.
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