Advanced Painting
February 23, 2015
Project #1: (9 Paintings Series) Sea Slugs
For my first project I chose the subject of sea slugs when my research on the ocean took a detour, after seeing a photo of one of these amazing creatures. While searching for more images of sea slugs, I found that there is almost a limitless variety of sea slug species, all taking different forms, designs, and colors. I immediately knew that I wanted this to be my subject, especially for an assignment that requires a series of nine paintings, because of the many different images and source materials I could get inspiration from. Although I researched facts about sea slugs for my initial presentation to give to the class, I decided to ignore the background of the invertebrates and focus solely on their aesthetic forms.
The first decision that I had to make was what size I wanted each individual piece to be. I decided that I would want all the pieces to be the same size, because this would create consistency among the paintings’ actual designs, which I knew would all be extremely different. I chose nine individual small canvases (about 4x4 inches each). The mini canvases also had a decent width (about an inch) in order to give these small works an extra boost of depth. I planned to utilize the small canvases’ thick frames by continuing the designs off of the main surface and onto the sides, to create a fluid movement on such a limited surface. Just like a sea slug, there would be an endless design on a tiny form.
The second big decision that had to be made was what material I would be using to paint with. After taking a strictly oil-based class for the past semester, I thought I’d try to experiment by going back to my acrylic roots, while incorporating oil in the final process. I also wanted to try something completely knew, and was interested in incorporating enamel paint after seeing how dimensional it could be even after drying in the class demo. I knew that the enamel would create rounded, smooth, and fluid designs, just like those seen on the patterning of sea slugs. The only problem was where to find the variety of enamel paints that I would require to achieve the same robust color scheme of the sea slugs I was trying to portray. After an unsuccessful trip to the hardware store, I decided that the only way I’d be able to get all of the colors that I need in the right quantities would be to purchase individual nail polishes which are similar in consistency to enamel paint. By doing so, I was able to find even the brightest fluorescents and neon hues that I had been searching for to mimic even the wildest sea slug’s skin.
The process of actually painting my nine pieces turned out to be more difficult and experimental than what I had expected. I started painting with the acrylic, and rediscovered how quickly it dries, and therefore uneasily it blends compared to oil. However, I also struggled with the oil paint’s dry time, as well as its inability to take on any acrylic once it was added as the top layer. After trial and error, I found a balance between using initial acrylic paint as a base, letting that dry, and then covering it either completely or partially with oil. On the pieces that I completely covered the acrylic foundation, I wiped out certain parts to reveal it. I also found however, that the acrylic could be used as a final touch if the oil layer was dry enough. The enamels were also a tricky element to work with, since I had a hard time deciding on which pieces I wanted it to be on the surface versus which pieces I would use the enamel just for a base texture. Some pieces I even used the enamel as both. When I didn’t like how the look of a piece was coming out, I’d quickly paint it over with oil or acrylic, and then use the enamel’s previous forms beneath as a compliment to the new design I created. I also found that if I apply oil over the enamel, I can wipe out the oil to re-reveal the enamel in only specific locations that I want.
Overall, the entire process of making these small paintings was extremely beneficial for me when it comes to understanding the different types of materials, and how they can work against or with each other. The enamel on oil on acrylic was definitely the most successful technique, however, there were some interesting decisions that were made throughout the entire process. It was also interesting to see how order that I ended up working on each piece turned out to be, since I didn’t actually work on one piece only from start until it was finished. I would instead go from piece to piece and add a little bit more to each while transitioning to the next. What I learned from the process of one piece, I would apply to the next, and even make corrections to the first. I wonder what each individual piece would have looked like if I were to have worked on them one-by-one, without even looking at what I had done before, or imagining what they will all look like together. I definitely think each piece would be completely different if I had gone about creating them this way.
Reference Materials:
http://a-z-animals.com/animals/sea-slug/
http://www.seaslugforum.net/
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/sea_slug.aspx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD-PHJ7QIKc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv-sbDO2ya0
Images: (I created this collage to visualize the layout of my project)
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