People who follow my art account on Instagram often comment how amazed they are at how much some of my paintings morph as they come into being. And they’re absolutely right. There’s something absolutely exciting about starting off a painting, creating a base layer to work on.
I always know without a doubt that I’m going to be giving it a new face when I return to apply a second layer the next day. But I know that my paintings are completely rested knowing this as it’s all part of the process. If the transformation is going to be very radical, I often speak a few words beforehand with the painting just to reassure it that everything’s going to be okay. I can almost sense them beaming back at me.
Quite a few pieces underwent this transformation recently so I know that it has a lot to do with how my inner world is looking. It’s actually very liberating to stand in front of a filled canvas and then just boldly apply new colours on top, deliberating covering up what went before, creating a new pathway. And there’s a real excitement at the thought of being close to beholding a new face looking back at you.
Yes, I call it – Giving a painting a new face. It’s akin to giving birth in many ways. You have no idea what will be smiling back at you until you’ve gone through the process of bringing it into this world. I have done this to very many of my paintings, either the next day, or many months later. And there have even been one or two cases where I did a makeover twice on the one painting. Now that was exciting because I know everything that went on before and can see the layers glimpsing through all the top layers. I really love excessive layering and textures. Seeing how the light catches all the contours. There’s something so satisfying about that.
So I’m sharing one of my pieces here for you to get an idea of what I’m talking about. This particular one got a really radical makeover but I just felt that it was important to move the brushes over the canvas and let what was currently moving become invisible on the surface.
I love this process and hope you have enjoyed sharing this with me.
Would you like me to share more before and after photos? Let me know in the comments below. Thank you!
Join my mailing list: bit.ly/Silkencircle
Instagram: @silkencircle
YouTube: fionastolze
Etsy shop: Silkencircle (for acrylics and silks)
