Friday, April 8, 2011

"RED TREES" 11024, daily painter abstracted landscape © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"RED TREES"

This painting is very loose and impressionistic and I had a blast painting it.  You would not believe the number of steps involved.  Start with YUPO paper - that plastic watercolor paper where the paints have incredible movement.

Stretch imitation spider webbing (a Halloween staple) across the paper and secure it with push pins.  Spray intensely colored Robert Doak watercolors on it and let the colors flow together.

That's the fun part because you never know what you're going to get - like the box of chocolates in Forrest Gump's world.
Stare at the paper and move it all around for at least 20 minutes.
When something finally emerges from the painting, paint NEGATIVELY all around the subject with fluid acrylics!

Wondering what negative painting is?  Start with a sheet of, say, green paper and paint everything that isn't a tree a different color.
It's rather like the old story of Michelangelo when asked how he sculpted the figure of David.  He said he started with a block of marble and chipped away everything that wasn't David.

For more information, click here to go to my website.