It’s mid-September, and after weeks of wet weather, the sun began emerging the past few days bringing about warm weather again! And here is Little One in the middle of her garden surrounded by all the pretty flowers making the most of it while it lasts. I was in an abstract art mood at the time of this painting and decided to go for some intuitive mixed media on sketchbook. Let’s have a look here!
The Background
I decided to play around with the sponge rollers that were lying around in the studio. First some white and yellow applied across the page of my Strathmore’s Visual Journal for Mixed Media. And now, how about experimenting again some gelli plates? It’s been a while since touching them and hence I got printing with the small round ones using light pink acrylic paint and scraping some flower designs on it with a small stick. Once all was dry, I was ready to stencil in some green leaves!
Flower Power
I had no idea at this point, to be honest, how to proceed but I just took a plunge and began doodling and randomly painting some flowers using the tip of the droppers of selected acrylic inks. According to my friend and Australian artist Tracy Verdugo (whose classes I’ve been following), the secret to abstract painting is to think of contrasts when stuck in a rut. So first some blue, then salmon orange then purple as well as solid shapes then lines not to forget big then small, angular then round and so on. Keeps your mind flowing. Makes total sense!
Introducing Little One
And now I added Little One in the picture, using markers. Unfortunately, she got a bit smudged along the way when I was trying to “erase” areas with wet cotton bud. Not to worry. Let’s pretend she’s doing rough and tumble in the garden or getting some dirt whilst gardening! I then continued on with more flowers this time by collaging torn bits or craft-punched wrapping paper. After some time, though, I really did not like the area in the top left corner anymore. Too cluttered and simply didn’t look right. In artists’ terms, his would definitely the “ugly stage”! Left it for a while and came back to it later…
Dealing with the Ugly Stage
Sometimes when I face the frustration of an area of painting I don’t like or realised I made a mistake, I either camouflage it by collage paper on top or by simply applying gesso over the offending area and starting over. The second option was chosen for this. Although the “mistake” is still visible underneath the gesso and paint, I decided not to make it completely disappear, as the pattern looks quite interesting. A few details with a white gel pen and transparent white glitter glue, I’m now happy with the painting. Look how colorful it is now!
A rather relaxing intuitive painting session this was. As summer draws to the end, I was keen to enjoy the final moments of bright vivid colors this year both in real and in my paintings. Another thing is that come autumn, many flowers will disappear so I am sad to see them go, and now is the time to make the most of them while they last. And of course that is exactly what Little One is doing, enjoying them as much as possible!
My Kawaii Quarter 