“Plain canvases...have paint added...
and become something they were not“
(The Painter’s Keys - 3 March 2020)
These simple words made me think.
A blank canvas is just a blank.
An artist comes along and makes a mark.
Now the canvas has changed...it has a design.
It will never be the same as before.
Blank has gone.
When another mark is made,
it alters the dynamic of the design.
Every new mark has a consequence.
Here is an example...
This picture began as a simple
design in black and neutral colours.
More colour was added which changed
the whole narrative.
Each additional mark made me
change from intuitive to considered.
The painting was moving on,
changing with every mark.
Each mark, each colour has a bearing
on what happens next...
Nothing is the same now.
I could return the canvas to blank white...
but this would have to be a thick coat of
paint to cover up all the previous marks.
Then it would become a painting
covering a previous painting.
It wouldn’t be the pure blank canvas.
All this theory aside...
my job is to make a picture.
After all the previous mark-making
I decided to take away some of the
previous marks to simplify my work.
The conversation has changed now.
Some parts are reduced to a whisper.
Others are louder...like the yellow.
Here it is again in black and white...
as removing the colour makes
it much easier to see the values.
My picture is born.
It wasn’t here before.
Something has come from
something which was not.
The plain canvas has had paint added,
and went on a journey to become something new.
‘Unseen Journeys’
Oils and cold wax medium
on 16 x 20 inch canvas
Thank you for reading my studio musings.
If you would like to visit the Painter’s Keys,
the website is: www.painterskeys.com
That’s all for now from my studio,
to visit my own website,
click on this link.
www.wildartdesigns.com
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