I wanted to show you some more of my creative process as I'm painting in my studio. There are various stages of mixed media layering and texturing and mark making that I engage in as I create an abstract expressionist painting.
I start with an image that will be my focal point and theme of the painting. Once it's printed out from my computer (usually in black and white). I apply a layer of matte medium to protect the paper and seal in the ink so that I can paint or draw on top of it without ruining the image.
For this specific image, of two people embracing, I chose to apply some brown acrylic paint to give some depth to it (and to try to create a more neutral skin tone to be inclusive to all ethnicities).
Then I cut the image out. And in this case I needed to tape sections together (because the overall image is larger than my printer prints).
Here's some of the progression.
Once I finish prepping the focal image I'm ready to begin painting the abstract background on the canvas.
There are several layers in the process of painting...but I usually start out with sketching on the canvas with graphite and charcoal.
Next I begin painting with large brushes using latex house paint and also acrylic paints in loose brushstrokes. I typically start with the darker colors first to create depth and then move towards the brighter colors. The more water I use with the paint I can create washes and drips texture.
Here's some of the progression.
From there I just keep continuing the layers of color and texture.
I used rags and paper towels to add texture in some of the areas...creating smoothness or creating a brushed away effect.
I used a palate knife to apply the paint to create a thicker texture in parts of the painting (for this one I used it mostly in the center area).
I intermittently sketched on top of the paint with graphite, charcoal, and chalk pastel to add more depth in some areas and to create a unique sketchiness in other areas.
The process of applying the various layers can take several hours (usually a full work day and sometimes into the night) as I work until it's finished. Switching back and forth from painting to texture to sketching to painting to drip effects to more sketching to splatter to texture to painting again is all a part of the process.
The moment I know the abstract background is finished I can move on to the next step. I apply the focal image with the matte medium (this time using it a glue), smoothing it out with a small plastic squeegee and then apply some finishing touches with paint to get it to integrate into the background.
With this specific painting I also used some paint sticks to splatter latex house paint onto the canvas as a finishing touch to give it that extra something...(it's kind of my thing to splatter paint).
Here's the finished painting:
Abide With Me
c. 2018 Lisa Marten
24x30 mixed media on canvas
(graphite, charcoal, chalk pastel, acrylic paint, latex house paint, paper, ink, matte medium)
$636
This painting is all about the LOVE.
It's not just the feeling of love...it's about the security, the safety, the peace, the trust...that knows us, that accepts us, that believes in us. It's the belonging. It's being home within that embrace. It's abiding in love. In order to truly experience the embrace, we need to be open and willing to be intentional, to be close, to be vulnerable, to be who we are...together. It's a risk...but it's what we all need and long for. It's what makes us human.
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