I have been working on developing the first pieces in my Limited Vocabulary paintings…2021. To get back in the rhythm of painting with an emphasis on manipulating only two colors on each piece, I began with these 12×12 canvases.
First, I did quite a bit of experimenting, choosing a variety of colors to blend. Yellows from cad to ochre to Indian, blues from ultramarine to blue violet, purples, siennas and even various blacks. One of my favorite duos is gold/magenta, of course, mixed with black and white. The top center piece uses this palette.
Each of these paintings is just a start, an underpainting of sorts, a diagram of color placement, awaiting clarity and detail. The next step was to add the dots, letting them dry for at least 24 hours. Once dry, I coat the entire piece with a gloss isolation coat so that I can continue to refine, letting the existing color show through the next layer. The dots need to be sealed so when I apply paint to them, it does not absorb immediately and it can be blended for a subtle color effect.
These are up on the wall of my studio so I can visualize my next steps…dots on the top right piece TBD….to work on each individually, but also to ensure that the series tells a cohesive story. In the picture below you can see the first layer of paint on the canvas and just some of the color test samples. My work is cut out for me this coming week….from the studio
