I just completed a five session online class called “Brave Space” on working large in waterbased mixed media. Each Thursday meeting the two instructors (Jeff Hirst and Paula Roland with Catalyst Art Lab) gave ideas for how to start and proceed working on these large pieces. I learned a lot about acrylic paints, which I really knew very little about, from both their expertise and my experimentations. I was also given a way into working with this medium as well at the chance to work big, something I’ve been curious to try.
We were asked to take process photos along the way so I can share some of the stages of some of the pieces with you here. They are all 44” x 30” (about as brave as I was able to be).
Here is an early stage of my very first piece. The assignment was to keep adding layers (both additive and subtractive) without editing for 10 layers and then do at least another 10 towards completion. This layer has collage, india ink and graphite.
This is probably about 20 layers in, maybe more. I have added charcoal, gesso, oil pastel, collage and india ink. At this point I was totally lost. I think this is hideous but there it was. Because I had nothing to lose I thought I would just break it open by doing something radical. This next one is after I made some bold moves.
Now I was getting somewhere. I kept at it for many weeks after this and this is what it looks like today. It has well over 40 layers, I’m pretty sure.
Here is another one with the early, middle and last versions.
Notice how both of these started out horizontal and ended up vertical. Here is my latest finished piece. The assignment was to reference the work you were doing before the class started so I went back to my casein paintings that were very shape-based.
No stages here just the final version. This one started out vertical and ended up horizontal! Sometimes the painting tells you what it wants to be.
As you see as I got more confident and more directed I started using acrylic paints more. This last one had collage, india ink and acrylic paint as well as gesso.
I am still working on more of these 44” x 30” pieces and a friend gave me some paper that is 5’ x 5’+ so maybe I will stretch myself and try getting even larger, even braver.