The distinctions between drawings and paintings are far from exact. Both utilise material exploration. Both are deemed expressive of intention. Both communicate meanings. The difference is usually taken to reside in a drawing’s emphasis on line (or linearity) as opposed to a painting’s emphasis on colour or material, and yet there are many coloured (and coloured in) drawings, and also many monochromatic paintings. Yet another route to distinction rests with the material used in the work, and so graphite, charcoal and ink (when used with a nib at least) are drawing materials, and oil, acrylic and gouache are painting materials. Ink, when used with a brush, is called a wash drawing, though, when making such a drawing at least, it more closely resembles a painting. Painting materials, by virtue of method and means of application, tend to cover surfaces more speedily.
This exercise can be conducted in two ways:
Using oil paint or acrylic paint on a resistant support - paint with a definite sense of physical bulk; opaque and able to obscure what lies beneath.
Using transparent watercolour and/or washy inks on paper - paint with a minimal physical presence, yet able to overlap to reveal an underneath layer.
The intention here is to make a painting that evidences drawing without you engaged in the act of deliberately drawing what would usually be considered a line. Look out for overlaps. Use the contours made by the brush’s dimensions. Remember, also, that, in the world, things don’t come with lines around them. Lines, in painting, serve to differentiate shapes. Overlaps will do just as well!
On a surface of your choosing, select a square brush approximately one fifth the diameter of the support (a 50 cm support warrants a 10cm brush, and so on) and then paint whatever you like.
Work paint into paint - either wet or dry - or preferably both. Ensure that you attend to the painting in close proximity: don’t stray too far from the surface. Don’t, however, use the brush’s edge, and if you see a line remove it quickly.
The elimination of an edge or contour by another edge or contour will keep the painting’s drawn aspect moving fluidly in accord with your painterly activities.
Kara Walker, Untitled (1996) (Cut paper collage and watercolour on paper) Bridgeman Images.
Note: Techniques used by Walker include:
Silhouette and wash. Pooling watercolour, and a smaller brush used for emphasis.
Blocked in shape (cut out), where line is the result of an encounter...dark with light.
Experimental base layers.
All of the experimental base paintings are of an abstract nature.
Some are thick opaque paint, and some are masked paint with stencils.
Some are washed inks with overpainitng.
I used Karin Davie as inspiration for the opaque curved sweeps of thick paint (reading in Painting Abstraction: New Elements in Abstract Painting by Bob Nickas). Winding snake-like forms of applied paint with lots of movement and energy.
The Kara Walker picture from the brief has a fluid inky, washed background, which inspired the more fluid of my backgrounds.
These are the outcomes - before and after drying and redaction.
One
Materials and process.
Opaque sweeps of various coloured acrylic paints on watercolour paper A3 size with a 5 cm brush.
The background was redacted with opaque grey and then scumbled with pale blue paint.
Then finally, digitally cropped and enlarged.
Close Up of the surface, in other words, redacted within a square.
Bird of Paradise
Digital crop of acrylic on watercolour paper.
The vivid hues in this artwork, particularly when viewed up close, evoke a sense of nostalgia within me. It's as if I am transported back to my younger years when I first encountered the Bird of Paradise - a flower named for its resemblance to a soaring bird. I remember this beautiful bloom during my visits to South Africa. The striking and imposing petals of the Bird of Paradise never ceased to captivate me, with their sheer vibrancy and strength with a sense of awe and wonder that lingers long after the blooms have withered away.
Bird of Paradise (2021) FloraLife. floralife.com.
Two
Materials and process.
Opaque sweeps of various coloured acrylic paints on watercolour paper A3 size with a 5cm brush.
Redacted with stencils and sweeps of acrylic glazes.
Then finally, digitally cropped and enlarged.
Digital close Up of the surface (tilted) redacted within a rectangle.
Digital close-up of the surface, in other words, redacted within a rectangle.
Three
Materials and process.
Pools and sweeps of inks on watercolour paper A3 size with a 5cm brush.
Redacted with stencils and sweeps of opaque and semi-opaque acrylic and glazes.
Four
Materials and process.
Acrylic ink (slightly congealed) was washed over and pooled on Khadi paper.
Thick acrylic paint (teal and fluorescent orange) with textured gel is mixed and spread with a thin card over the surface.
Gilding paste in copper and gilding fluid with gold leaf.
Digital close Up of the surface, in other words, redacted within a square.
The pattern we see embedded in the teal paint is the investigation of the drying of the piece. On the floor where I left the painting to dry overnight, I stepped into the paint in my trainers. The patterned sole has made an impression. Instead of trying to cover up the accident, I added gilding paste to highlight the pattern.
Disintegrating Skies
Acrylic Ink/ paint and gold metallic leaf on Khadi paper 30cm x 30 cm
In "Disintegrating Skies," I explored the interaction between colour, pattern, and redaction to create a dynamic and energetic composition. Gold, teal, and orange dance across the canvas in a turbulent pattern, evoking the feeling of flight and movement. The colours are bold and expressive, capturing the energy of a sky in motion.
The painting's redaction, with its sense of disintegration, decay, fog and mist, is obscured in parts and hints at what lies beyond. The embedded metallic adds another layer of complexity to the composition, hinting at hidden meanings and deeper themes.
The painting is vibrant and unsettling, capturing the fleeting nature of experience and the relentless passage of time. Disintegrating Skies is powerful and evocative whether viewed from a distance or up close.
Scrap and reusable.
These pieces didn't really work but I now realise that I can reuse them or
glue them to my work, then partially peel them off
cut them up
write on them
tear them
reflect and rethink them
Use them as a background for a stencil
The possibilities are endless but each piece I make (however bad or good I deem it is) is from my hand and therefore I should and will keep it.
What have I learnt?
I have learnt that I will happily take this process forward. Redaction and erasure create opportunities to experiment. The opaque placing and highlighting of areas and my newfound understanding of layering place me in a stronger position to form compositions that please me and speak to me as an artist.
I can see how redaction affects the structure of the piece. Are certain parts of the image becoming more prominent or meaningful due to being highlighted by the redaction? Yes.
Are other parts of the image becoming less clear or more ambiguous due to obscurity? Yes.
Am I creating a sense of tension and complexity in the composition while also exploring themes of censorship and secrecy? Not yet, but I see the opportunity to.
I have newfound tools to create a powerful and thought-provoking piece of art that engages viewers on multiple levels.
Below are the two pieces of work that have texture and feeling within, my feeling, my paint, my movement my way.
Bird of Paradise
Disintegrating Skies
References.
Bird of Paradise (2021) FloraLife. Available at: https://floralife.com/flowers/bird-of-paradise/ (Accessed: 8 April 2023).
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