Further Experimentation

Here I have used acrylic to paint one of my favourite pictures. I like how this image has form. I feel like this is the closest example of replicating the aspects of the photographs so far. I have used the gloss again which is really effective at bringing out the colour and creating a reflective surface that emulates water.

I find my paint pallets interesting surfaces and I want to try an incorporate these within my paintings. I feel like this could be used as a collage as well as colour studies.

Drilling through Ceramics

I bought a simple ceramic plate to experiment with the technique I have in mind. I want to drill a series of holes through a broken plate in order to reassemble the item so it can be 'used' (in a non conventional way) again.

I ran into some problems from the beginning though. Drilling holes in ceramics is not as easy as i had hoped. I managed to melt the drill bit without achieving a hole. This means that it is going to be unlikely for me to approach the mend in the way I had originally hoped.

I now need to come up with a new idea about how I am going to be able to mend my plates back together.

I started by playing around with wrapping wire around the pieces to give a strong ground for me to attach thread to.

I liked how it meant that the plate was once again whole, but i was hoping for a stronger structure to install within a gallery space. I have a vision that I'll have all these plates fixed together sitting next to one an other as if they were on display in a house. I also don't like how this detracts from the initial idea of using the object again. I think I need to think about this in depth over the next week to find a solution.

Photoshop Experiment

Photoshop is a brilliant tool when it comes to creating abstract images. It is also useful in terms of using layers within my work. I have layered up two images of water and played around with transparencies to further abstract the image. I want to use this image as further inspiration around me when I paint.

I have tried here to use the surface of cardboard to paint upon. I like the surface but I feel as though I need to think about the medium I a using as the colours that acrylic bring is so bold and intrusive.

Gloss

My tutor recommend to me that I use a gloss on my acrylic studies to finish the paintings. Here I have experimented to see the effects of the gloss by only painting half the image with the layer. It is clear that this will be a useful medium as it gives the paint a shine that reflects the mood I want to create as well as the water. The way the light bounces off the image shows how important this finish is on the final outcomes.
I feel like it mutes the colours slightly and helps them to blend together. I love that the image in itself is becoming more like a memory and reflection.

Claude Monet Water Lillies

Monet's Water Lillies are an important contextual reference for this project. I feel as though the work draws upon the ideas of memories in a literal sense. The infamous nature of Monet's paintings becomes a memory in it self. I remember looking at these paintings when I was in junior school. 

The use of light and tone is something that I can think about when painting myself. I often over look classic art when contextualising my work, yet here this can help me to develop my practice and ideas.

Layers

In these two images I have used layers of tissue to extend the image. I like how this works as i feel it gives the image a tonal quality that reflects upon water and the movement of water. This also enhances the image to look further like a 'dream' which in turn builds upon the memory aspect to my work.

I want to keep using layers of tissue within my painting to create depth and enhance the memory aspect to the project.

Chris Langlois

Chris Langlois is a graduate from The University Of Newcastle Australia. I am thrilled to have found an artist who could of been in a similar situation and state of mind to myself painting in Newcastle. 

This stunning oil painting of seascapes are strong examples of water painting. I enjoy the flatness of the image, and the quality of brush stroke. This can help me think more carefully about my own practice in the sense that I want the image to take form. I want my paintings to look like a water landscape yet also have relevance in contemporary culture.