In the Studio: A Glimpse into the Artist’s Work in Progress
There’s a certain magic in the unfinished stages—work underway often has a raw energy of its own. Inside the studio, I usually have several pieces at various stages of development.
Landscapes all possess a ‘spirit’ that needs to be felt
Landscapes begin as broad-brush washes or charcoal outlines. If the work is in watercolour, simple graphite tonal studies outline the composition and lighting. These may be drawn in permanent ink then overlain in watercolour. The ‘grisaille’ of an oil painting is developed quickly, usually from drawings and watercolour studies ‘en plein air’—thin glazes and transparent overpainting follows. Only later do I make considered choices of colour and breadth of the palette. The ‘fat over lean’ layering process begins and may incorportae various mediums such as cold wax.
Emotion is key to portraying character and personality
When it comes to portraiture, the work begins in the mind. The subject must be meticulously engaged with. A personal meeting is vital at the outset—or vast amounts of time spent online if the subject is no longer alive. It’s probable that more time is spent before painting begins than the actual time spent in the studio painting. For example, my portrait of Harry Hotspur involved reading many, many books, watching film archives, researching life in the 14th century, liaising with archivists at Alnwick Castle, visits to battlefields and lengthy study of other portraits of Hotspur’s mostly in the present Duke of Northumberland’s collection.
So works in progress are at many stages; each building toward something not yet known, but deeply felt.
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