Dusk Encounter

 

The second in what seems to be a new series of paintings going under the title of "Magic Light" in which I hope to create a sense of mystery by having a strange light source within relatively ordinary landscapes and urban scenes. There is an implied narrative but I want the viewer to make up their own mind as to what is happening in the picture by hopefully giving them a sense of ambiguity; is something wonderful going on? Is something weird going on? Is something sinister going on? I might use the title to heighten the mystery too, in this case ... what kind of encounter? What I don't want to do is stray too far into Fantasy painting with these, I will need to curb my tendencies in that direction...

Oil on mdf 12" x 12".

There is a short progress through this painting including what colours I used in previous posts on this blog.

Dusk Encounter - stage 2

 First colour pass, not quite sure how misty to make it so I stopped here for today and will have another look at it tomorrow morning over my breakfast coffee.

Colours used were: Transparent Red Oxide, Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine Violet, Ultramarine Blue, Kings Blue Light, Permanent Orange, Bright Green Lake and Zinc White.

Dusk Encounter - stage 1

 A tentative title for the second in a new series of paintings called "Magic Light". The ambiguous light in "Crepuscolo San Polo" has gave me the idea for this new series wherein I hope to transform a relatively ordinary landscape or urban scene into something more mysterious by having an unusual light source within it. 

This is the tonal underpainting stage for which I used a mix of Burnt Sienna, Transparent Yellow Oxide and Winsor Violet thinned with Liquin using a small bristle brush and a rag.

Oil on mdf 12" x 12".

Crepuscolo San Polo

 About halfway through this painting I noticed a theme that I could develop into a series so this is probably the last of these trial paintings. I liked the ambiguity of the light at the end of the passageway, was it bright sunlight streaming through the buildings, was it a very bright streetlight (unlikely all Venetian lights are quite subdued) or was something else going on up there? Something magical, something sinister? I realised that I could maybe extend my Venetian Vampires series in this direction but more importantly this could form a new series that I am probably going to call "Magic Light" in that I can try this out in landscapes as well as urban situations - a mysterious light source in an otherwise relatively conventional setting. If it can look kind of magical without going too much in a Fantasy direction that would be great.

This was originally going to be about light, design and atmosphere using thicker paint on the square format that I am returning too (and indeed painting on board again) but fortunately kind of by accident I may have stumbled on a theme that I can develop.... without trying new things out I probably would never have got here.

Oil on mdf 12" x 12".

There is a short progress through this painting including what colours I used in previous posts on this blog.

Crepuscolo San Polo - stage 3

 Gradually working around the painting, leaving the alleyway and water until last. I quite like the pale yellow of the lit alleyway, it's kind of vague as to whether it's bright sunlight or a light in the evening - I might go with that, it looks like there is something magical going on up there...

Crepuscolo San Polo - stage 2

 First colour pass trying to keep the colours subtle, based around a Yellow - Violet colour complementary. Colours used were: Ultramarine Violet, Winsor Violet, Manganese Violet, Emerald Green, Burnt Sienna, Permanent Orange, Lemon Yellow and Zinc White.

Naomi Gold

 

Well this painting didn't go the way I intended at the start! I was planning to do a low-saturation limited palette painting with looser more expressive brushmarks... ha!  I think the problem was I didn't choose the right subject, as I progressed through the painting it became obvious that this would not suit a portrait of a beautiful smooth-skinned woman, it was much more suited to a craggy male so at some point soon I will have another go at it with a male subject. A self portrait?

This is a second attempt at painting a picture with this title, the first one I aborted a few years ago as it looked so terrible. I don't mind how it's come out if I forget what I actually set out to do, it looks a bit more painterly than normal but.. 

The model is the lovely Naomi Wood who I paint a lot as I have so many great shots of her to work from, maybe when this pandemic is over I will get her to my studio and paint from life for a change... I quite like the background which was achieved by pushing transparent paint around so I guess I've learned something from this one!

Oil on mdf 12" x 12".

There is a short progress including what colours I used through this painting in previous posts on this blog.