I've got the blues alright ... Blues as in ultramarine, cobalt, phthalo, and prussian blue.
One of the most intriguing aspects of working in an abstract way, is the discovery of acrylic paints. My pastels have always arrived in a box, or have been hand selected from a display - their name meant nothing - they were reds, or darks or greys or ... I loved the colors, but what counted was not the name, only the shade, the brand and the type. Now, as I am beginning to experiment with acrylics - a world of poetry has opened up. I love the names, but this medium is a total stranger to me - a world to discover. My limited experience is teaching me that some acrylics are thick, some are transparent. Some work well when watered down, some make me feel like Van Gogh as they swirl and ooze on the canvas. One thing for sure - they are a challenge for me - so I often find myself using digital paint tools to think about what I might paint, and to practice the effects I have in mind (but not yet in hand.)
Which brings me to today's post. This painting was done with
MyPaint, an open-source graphics application for digital painters. I was able to really focus on layering the colors to get the effects I wanted ... all the blues were there - and I played with them all, without getting my hands dirty. Now, if only I can learn to do this with those lovely blues ...
Today's image (12x12) acrylic on canvas was created by playing with three shades of blue acrylic paint and white as a mixer. I love messing around with a limited palette because the results can be surprisingly strong.
To start, I flowed a line with a red paint pen - then I starting mixing the blues to create a variety of shades. The top patterning is done with a new favorite tool - a white acrylic pen made by Sharpie. I am very impressed with the quality of these pens - long lasting, a fine strong point and excellent flow control.
