Morib Landscape (Mixed Media) WIP

January 07, 2016

Morib Landscape (Mixed Media) WIP

Referring to my photo on the computer
to draw the preliminary drawing in burnt umber
colour pencil

Me and the bf went for a few trips to Morib ( place next to the sea in Malaysia) to do some onsite sketches and photography for this next painting.. Hopefully I've been able recreate the desolate feeling of the particular spot we found ( this area happens to be a carefully guarded secret among photographers, and one has to hunt for it themselves. The dead tree that will be the focus of this piece also happens to be a fav among photographers for their fashion photo shoots!...)

I planned on combining abstract and realistic elements as well as some mixed media work.. It was started of with just the raw canvas look (protected with a clear acrylic primer) which will show through in places when the piece is completed. In some of my earlier work I added sand in carefully stenciled designs which I have always loved and wanted to incorporate in my work again. So that was the plan this time if, that is, I found it would enhance the piece.

Initial first wash with raw umber and ultramarine (green shade) oil paint

Starting the abstraction.. I then went in before the paint completely dried and redrew the tree. The paint was then removed at strategic points..

Removing paint with a clean brush and turpentine. Also the shadows were darkened..

The bark and sky was then started on in oil paint with a mixture of :

Mixing White (and Alkyd), Lemon Yellow, Cad Yellow, Light Red, Yellow Ocher, Cobalt Blue Hue, Ultramarine (Green Shade) & Raw Umber.

I don't really use any medium and paint in a direct manner- each stroke is placed deliberately with the right hue straight away with none or minimal adjustment later. This way of painting requires full concentration as each stoke has to be exactly the way you wish it to be in the final. I decided to paint this way so the piece would retain it's gestural lively quality which can be lost if overworked.

Basically the oil paint layer is done (sans any touchups at the end). Next I added the sand (actual sand) by painting on a relatively thick layer of white oil paint (alkyd) in a somewhat decorative manner in the places I wished the sand to be and then sprinkled the sand over the painting, the idea being that the sand would adhere just to the areas painted.

I was a little apprehensive of this next stage as I'd never tried this technique with oil paint or in a landscape like this before, but I'd hoped the elements would meld well in an exciting harmonious manner.. :)

The composition and where exactly I would be laying the sand was sussed out with the help of photoshop first. After a good break here and there from working on the piece, I was able to come back to it with fresh eyes and be sure I was happy with how everything was looking in the rough photoshop test before proceeding!!...

Sprinkling on the sand on the wet white oil paint. (the rest of the painting had to be bone dry or the sand might have stuck unintentionally to other parts of the painting. Even then, some grains still did a little, but they were easily removed.)

Sand is done! Attention was given to the sides of the painting
too, so it could be hung as is without a frame, if one wished.

Once the white alkyd that the sand was adhering to had dried, I touched up some parts (darkening the horizon of the sand, to give a little depth) and cleaning up any stray grains of sand.