Amanda
Christine Cox - Contemporary Fine Art Painter
Technical
Notes and Discoveries
Tricks
and Tips and Trips..
AUGUST: Currently working
on some pieces for a show in an Indian Cultural Centre. Chose
a dark red background where a blues/white/yellow floral/mystical
motif was going on to. Originally I wanted the background a velevety
soft even crimson, but as I had run out of gesso for my usual
technique (see JUNE) for an opaque ground I tried various ways
to make the horrible cheap acrylic a solid colour. Dark red is
probably the hardest hue to apply evenly as the pigment seems
to be so poor and/or badly distributed through the paint. I tried
a watery coat then multiple applications over the top. That just
looked streaky and a bit crap! Then I thought of apply the paint
like little mosiacs, painting in squares with gaps in between
then filling in the gaps. This actually gave the piece a rich
depth and pattern over the existing streaked mess and with the
variation of application gave the ground a lovely gauzy effect
- ideal for an India themed show as to me it is reminiscent of
the layers of material in a Sari. So I will do 2 long tall canvases
like this and I think I will apply just small motifs with some
space in between so that the ground shows through and gives some
sense of depth.
JULY: Underpainting
I have found to be a very important tool in creating my vibrant
paintings. If you underpaint lighter colours with white (such
as yellow, cyan, red, orange) they really zing out on a dark background,
as if they have been cut out and pasted on. This is great for
optical illusions.
JUNE: To get around
the problem of the transparency of cheap acrylics (System () no
names no lawsuit!) when you want an opaque and even large area
I have carefully developed a technique. It basically involves
putting some good quality gesso (the chalky stuff rather than
the plasticky stuff), watered 1:3, into the paint at approximately
1:6 or 1:5 ratio. Too much would render the colour too white.
Hues that this works with best are generally reds that just out
of the tube/tub are a bit too dark anyway. It is best to apply
this quickly and in a cool environment to avoid lumps. Resist