Small paintings on paper, so spontaneous and free.
I particularly love painting small paintings on paper as I can really be spontaneous and free with both the brushstrokes and the colours and experiment a little at the same time. All the large brushstrokes and touches of colour in the skies and the details on the horizon are blended just a little, but not too much to lose the abstract spontaneity. Handmade paper is so absorbent so you have to work quickly but it gives these paintings a lovely texture. Then all you need is a beautiful frame to pull everything together.
Below you can see some of the brushstrokes close up and all the texture and detail on the paper. Each is that little bit different and unique with sometimes some quite unusual colour choices that do strangely seem to work especially when you take the masking tape off so you can see it properly.
I love using larger brushes when painting these and when I say larger brushes they are in fact painting and decorating round brushes from a hardware store, not artist brushes at all. Its fun using these and they don’t have to be proper artist brushes in order to be creative and have fun. Of course I do use smaller proper brushes for detail and finesse.
Try it, get a palette full of different colours, some paper ideally with texture and then both types of brushes and some water, put on your favourite music and let yourself go. Before you know it you have created something unique and original and time has just passed and relieved your stress. Just lose yourself !!
“These small studies have a freedom in the brushstrokes and colour I use so if a larger painting hits a creative block I inspire myself with these smaller ‘free’ studies.
’They are a beginning but a very important beginning.”