No. 15, the last

I have used the last of the small pieces of watercolour paper on this piece.  The good news is that I have bought some more watercolour paper and intend to work for a while in squares and/or basic rectangles.  I would like to work out what are good rectangles, based on the Golden Mean.  I know that 5 x 8 is a good size, so I need to look up how to work it out for other sizes.

I decided to give the pink and yellow another outing, but balanced it with Payne's Grey.  I think it could have a little more dark tone, or perhaps have the dark tones sharpened up a little.  Otherwise I think it works.

I haven't talked about edges yet, smooth, jagged, soft, sharp, hard/soft, lost and found - there are so many of them.  Perhaps I should get my books out and make a list of all the compositional elements I could experiment with and make each series of mini paintings based on one or more of the elements.  I now I would fall down on line, something I need to practise more.

Two weeks, No. 14

It doesn't seem like two weeks since I started doing these mini landscapes.  As I said in a previous post, I am finding them very therapeutic, a meditation before starting on other works.

I have tried to get more line in this piece, which I like.  I also love the explosions of colour that happen when I use the mist spray.  It is totally unpredictable, so risky, but that is what experimenting is all about.

I have moved back to my first love colours of blue, turquoise and green with some rust.  This piece lacks mid tones, which is very unusual for me as I usually have too much of it.  I also think it looks more balanced with the blobby right-hand side trimmed off.

Unlucky for some, No. 13

I don't know if I am superstitious or not.  I don't like to tempt fate, but I don't go in for counting magpies, or avoiding cracks in the pavement.  This mini landscape uses colours that I don't normally use much, certainly not together.

The shocking pink and yellow vibrate against each other, and the only other colour really is Payne's Grey.  Strangely it does seem to work.  I was tempted to trim off the left hand side, and it does look balanced without all the yellow, but it doesn't zing without it.

No. 12 Extreme landscape

I am coming to the end of the pieces of watercolour paper, so I can only do only a few more of them.  This piece seems to break all the rules I wrote about in the previous post.

I don't think there is enough dark tone, the picture plan is cut into two parts, very light and mid tones.  Cutting a painting in half like this is a bad idea, but not irredeemable.   I could trim up to half of the sky away, which would remove one problem.  

I could also go in with more inks, or perhaps technical pens, and add some darks, perhaps increasing the blue area in the centre and to the right, making sure that each area was a different size.  It is also mostly warm colours, so by increasing the blue this would help to balance out the temperature.

I may do this, but this is an experimental exercise, not an exercise in making paintings, so I may not.

Extreme landscape No. 11

Here we are again, same but different.  I love how this one has turned out, there is a nice balance of light and dark tones, and I think the composition works well too, many because of the accidental line in the sky area pointing down to the dark area in the centre.  There is also a nice balance of warm and cool colours.

I know that I said I was not being judgemental, and I am trying to give myself critiques without likes and dislikes, but it is a very difficult thing to do.

I read somewhere that each element of composition should, most of the time, but not always, have a daddy, mummy and baby bear range.  For instance, a large area, a medium area and a small area of dark tone, or perhaps a large area of cool colour plus a medium and small area of warm colour.  This simple advice is easy to remember (I did), and I think it works.

No. 10 landscape

I can't believe that there is only a week to go before I have done my first six months of blogging, and six months of painting virtually every day.  Sometimes it has been a strain, trying to keep up, but since I started working on these small pieces to put on my blog, it has become easier.

I also think my work has improved tremendously in that six months.  Like a piano player, you need to exercise your art every day, or as near to every day as you can.  I love painting, and also love my textiles too, and if a day goes by without one or the other, I feel incomplete.  I never thought I would be able to say that.

I was thinking of lines whilst working on this piece.  I often feel that I don't get enough of a graphic quality into my work, even though I love to see it in other peoples work.

Extreme landscape No. 9

I am still loving this process, and I can see that my ideas are beginning to move more to an abstract form.  I bought the DVD downloads of Debora L. Stewart's from North Light books, together with her book on abstracts.  The downloads are fabulous, I have just finished watching them, and want to watch them again.  The book only came a couple of days ago so I haven't got very far with it, but it does look great.

This piece is very small, and I am still in my 'turquoise' period,  but I love it.  I am not being judgemental about these tiny pieces of work, but after watching the DVDs I want to concentrate next on combining colour theory with composition.

I will wait until I have finished all these small pieces of watercolour paper first, then work on some slightly bigger pieces, with perhaps square or normal rectangular shapes.

No. 8 Extreme landscape on watercolour paper

I put all my inks away yesterday, so that I would come to the next piece with fresh ideas.  I did choose my favourite turquoise, but added ochre instead of my usual orange.

I think this has turned out to be a lovely seascape, although again, I try not to have any preconcieved ideas before or whilst working.

Extreme landscape No. 7

I feel as if I have been doing these for weeks rather than 7 days.  Watching the pigment floating and moving over the surface, suspended in medium and water, is amazing.

This has to be 'moorland fires' I think it's the best one yet, although I am trying to be non-judgemental about the results, as it is all about process.

Because I am taking my time on other, larger works, I am feeling so much more relaxed.  Doing these little experimental pieces is a sort of meditation, a lovely start to my working day.

Extreme landscape No. 6

I am so enjoying working with these mini works of art.  Each time I use the acrylic inks and fluid acrylics I surprise myself. 

I also used charcoal again in this piece, and there are a few technical pen lines, although they are very fine.  I love how the colours bloom into one another.

Extreme mini landscapes No. 5

Another mini landscape, or perhaps this is more of a seascape.  I don't have any particular view in mind when working these small pieces.  I looked at a lot of my photographs, taken over the years, of Yorkshire moors, dales and wolds, and the coast in all weathers.  

I didn't however keep any of the photographs out on view as I wanted to produce the feeling, the atmosphere of those places rather than any one place. I used charcoal in this piece as well as my favourite Payne's Grey acrylic ink.

Experimental mini landscape No. 4

I should say a little about colours.  I always have colour theory in my mind when painting.  I use colour complementaries a lot, such as blue and orange (my favourite), green and red or purple and yellow.

Of course the colours don't have to be strictly opposite on the colour wheel.  I like to use split complementaries such as a warm and cool blue, with a warm and cool Orange, and including the neutral colours made by combining opposite colours.

Of course when you mix opposite colours you do get Grey's so you have to watch for that.  I have included some Payne's Grey ink in this piece, a lovely grey with blue undertones.

Extreme, experimental landscape No. 3

I am enjoying doing these landscapes.  they are small and quick and I don't feel under pressure to 'make' a painting whilst doing them.  I am trying to use different colours each time.

6 x 14

I love the muted, earthy tones that this piece has, very reminiscent of the Yorkshire Moors on a misty day.

Extreme mini landscape No.2

Here is the next experiment,  I really like this one.  I used a fine mist of water to spread the colours.

5 x 8

Mini landscapes

Whilst looking for and sorting out the watercolour paper I have left, I came across a lot of small pieces.  Some are only about 4 x 8 inch, some around 6 x 15 inch, but there are quite a lot of them.  They all have an extreme width to height ratio so seemed ideal for landscape/seascape experiments.

They are all different types of watercolour paper, but have in common that they are all quite heavy weight, probably 250 or even 300lb.

This is the first experiment, using acrylic inks and fluid acrylics.  A pity about the drop that fell in the sky area, but otherwise I quite like it.

Experimental landscape, 4 x 7 inch