Abstract Painting Process No. 1 (part 1): To let more love in
Working through the messy middle of a multimedia painting using Acrylic paint, oil pastel, pencil and hand-made papers
Hello!! Thank you for being here!! Today I’m posting Part 1 of 2 videos that show the process of making this abstract multimedia painting I finished this summer for a dear friend, Lori.
In this video you’ll see me figure out what to do next with color and value in the composition, test out and narrow which oil pastels I’ll use, and lay in and pick paint up with tissue paper. I had put several layers of acrylic paint and tissue paper down before I started recording this one (whoops!), and I had dug into some of that paint with old combs and sticks and things to create groovy texture.
Next video I will show you the rest, including adding the small figures mentioned in this video—Lori’s son and dog. Lori is a steadfast, thoughtful and generous person who has had a big impact on how I view my role as a parent and friend. I’ve seen her son grow over the last 10+ years into a thoughtful, kind, funny and creative young adult. So, though this painting took many more months than I like to admit to finish, it was a really grounding and love-filled process. I am so grateful she asked me to work on this project. I called this painting “To let more love in.”
Stay tuned for Part 2, as soon as I finish editing 🙃
What kinds of things do you think about when you are designing the composition of a painting? I’m always very curious about this question because I don’t think that composition comes very easily for me.