Thursday, January 28, 2016

rise above... and have no fear

Be willing to scrape it back....even when it is good. It is only through not being afraid that the painting will speak to you and the mystery will come.

This is a small pastel on gold leaf (8"x8".) It has been sprayed with fixative repeatedly and scratched down with abandon. There was a time it was "pretty" but it was boring. That's the biggest issue...predictability and pretty. Now it is much closer.

The past month I have been working on a large pastel (30x40) and it is suffering the same disease. I think I will just throw some Gamsol on it tomorrow so I have to dig it out again.
Remember if it's not(visually) precious.....it's not precious.

6 comments:

Lisa Le Quelenec said...

Truly scrumptious!!! A gem...

Donna T said...

Wow, stunning piece! You risked ruining a pretty painting but were rewarded with a real jaw dropper. Thanks for describing your process, Loriann. No way this painting would ever be considered boring!

loriann signori said...

Thanks Lisa and Donna! Learning to not have anything be precious has been really helpful..freeing. Thanks for you kind words!

Patricia Wafer said...

I wrote the precious quote down - and will post it in my studio - thanks! The painting is gorgeous!!

Kamila Havlíková said...

I am wondering what it is that makes it not "just pretty" - maybe the thick black and gray at the horizon... In any case, it´s amazing. I understand your words so much! Thank you for describing your thoughts and process.

loriann signori said...

Thanks Patricia and Kamila,
It was the hardest lesson to learn. When you have a nice passage it becomes precious and then becomes the boss. It's dangerous to have so much power.It's like a good opera..you need a diva but the whole company is part of the whole. It has to work together. Paint on friends!