STUDIO BEHIND THE SCENES ///
Thoughts I left you with last week: "It's only through letting go and embracing creative play and exploration that we have an opportunity to grow and evolve as creative beings."
Continuing from my post last week about my new hinterland inspired series in progress in the studio at the moment. This week I'll be sharing some early discoveries I've made as I've gotten the creative engine fired up.
Last week I explained that getting really clear on your what and why at the beginning of the creative process before embarking on a new collection or series is super important. You can read about my what and why in last week's post here.
As I got firm on my ideas for this latest project, I stumbled across a new way of working, which seems to be filling a missing link for me in my process. Eureka! Don't you just love it when that happens!
I started from a place of fun and exploration by making random rough sketches in my digital sketchbook (remarkable 2). Not all of these sketches will become paintings, but they have all helped me discover and develop where I want to take my art next.
The sketches I have used so far I have projected onto the canvas and sketched out rough shapes to emulate the composition and scale of my drawing. In the past, I have only used a projector to sketch out a styled scene from a photograph, and I believe this approach makes my art too serious and formal because some elements of my work are quite realistic.
I need freehand sketching in my art to help with a more relaxed and quirky sophistication as I combine elements of realism together with looser impressions of the subject matter. So the magic of projecting a sketch onto canvas is a milestone moment for me, and quite frankly, why did I not connect the dots sooner?
At first, when I started to translate these sketches onto the canvas, I wanted to continue to play and explore to freshen up my art practice.
This led me to abandon my usual substrate - wooden art panels and purchase a roll of linen canvas for the first time. I intended to create a mixed-media painting, experimenting with adding other materials with my usual acrylic paint. I'd planned to include elements of collage and pastels, and I wanted to explore adding embroidery to my work (hence buying a roll of canvas rather than pre-stretched canvas so I could sew through it without constraints).
However, once I got started on my first piece - pictured above. The creation process flowed so naturally I didn't want to stop using acrylics to express myself and translate my sketch into a vibrant artwork. So the piece is 100% acrylic on linen canvas. And I did away entirely with any use of mixed media.
This failed mixed media attempt provided me with some invaluable information, though:
1. I love using acrylics and don't need to include mixed media, even though this is a deliciously fun thing to do in a sketchbook to play and explore.
2. I am in love with painting acrylics on linen canvas. It's smooth but provides a grip that a wood panel does not. I think I use more paint but require fewer layers to achieve the desired result.
So it's definitely a win-win in this failed creative exploration!
So there you have it. My latest creativity project and chapter is in full swing!
Did you realise there was so much to creating a series of paintings?
Did anything surprise you or spark a particular interest?
Please let me know in the comments below or email me at hello@samhortonstudio.com.
I would love to hear from you.
Take care, Sam x
