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Building Up The Vision
00:00 Wed 26th Jun 2024
It's now Sunday June 2nd, 8 days after my first day's painting. The oil paint is dry and can be worked over the top with new layers. I gotta get it done today as Gwendolyn needs the painting for photographing tomorrow. It will be reproduced at scale, as a site-specific reference on the Denmans Gdns installation at the upcoming Hampton Court Garden Show. I have been blessed with another perfect sunny day. It must be finished today! I arrive at Denmans about 12.30 again and set to it hammer and tongs all day long until dusk sets in at about 8.45pm. I'm totally focussed and 8 hours feels like 10 minutes. I treat myself again to a decent BLT lunch as in the cafe as a reward, - but also to save time. Dozens of 'inbetweenie' hues and tones are mixed to render the subtle difference in surfaces under slanting sunlight. The reddish brick pattern goes radial in shape to form the arches, and the blue-grey slate roofs are overlayed with linear tile patterns. Bolder decisions made on the almost orangey bright mustard green of grass patches which are hit and yellowed by sun, and the opposite almost blue-dark-green of the grass that is in shadow. Bright little impasto explosions of colour pinpoint the roses and tall leaning hollyhock-like plants in the background flowerbeds, which read like fireworks against shadowed house. Im using oderless white spirit to thin and mix my paint. But the flow improves by adding a few drops of pure turpentine, which is very toxic but smells great, - like Greek Retzina pine wine. Thin opaque or semi transparent layers. Thicker impasto strokes are sparingly used. The lighter the colour and tone, the more titanium white is used. Oil tubes are highly concentrated, - so the tubes of paint last for decades.
