A couple of bushwalks in our Southwest National Park have inspired me with their fantastic scenery. We walked up Clear Hill and then into Lake Judd a few days later. They’re opposites scenery wise so there are a variety of influences floating about.
Whilst these photos show the wonderful scenery the aim is not to paint realistically. Rather, my aim is to bear in mind the visual forms and textures, the feel of the place and my emotional reactions.
Ok, enough of that. Let’s get started on the painting!
Here are some progress shots of a couple of paintings from a current group of seven. They’re based on memories of the above plus bits and pieces I like about “Switchback” (below).
Somehow, we ended up with two different styles in this group! (Your guess is as good as mine as to why?!)
This first one was painted over a previous non-starter (below).
As you can see in the photo below, the paintings are progressing well.
First, the hill shapes were created, then some scumbling or glazing on parts. A bit of lifting off opened things up. The sky was scumbled with layers of white and blue …. trying to make it interesting and not too flat. Adding some new colour on the hills seemed a good idea and a “lake” began to appear.
In the version shown above acrylic ink was added to the foreground. It seems a bit too samey though, so, in the next photo (below) you can see I’ve lifted off paint to lighten some areas. Parts of the foreground were darkened to create more contrast. Almost there I think. Just wondering about lightening more areas in the foreground.
Now for the other style. It’s a bit more intuitive and abstracty but still with landscape shapes.
I managed to pull this out of the random starting marks!
The stage above needed more colour so raw sienna and turquoise inks were added (below) plus I attacked the sky and painted over some of the drips.
Then, warm colour was added in some white areas but it’s still not feeling finished. I’m uncomfortable with that light square in the centre even though it’s now smaller. Can that sky do with lightening too?
A couple of the paintings in this group are tentatively finished, but there’s a “cooling off” period in case there are things to fine tune. Some paintings say “I’m done” quite quickly while others take their time.
It’s time to think of the next challenge.
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Wendy Galloway Art 
I became very excited by the conglomerate formations and could imagine you gesturally drawing them from memory – so dynamic. The next photo the shape is almost repeated on the form in the distance. Could you apply some of the technique you have used to present these monumental shapes in an abstract, asymmetrical form? A fabulous start to the year. Lynne
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It’s a case of remembering what I’m doing that’s the problem. Once I start it goes down it’s own track! I think the cure would be to go slower and remind myself what I planned if I want to stick closer to my inspiration. Things get way more “dynamic!?” In a questionable way, if I just paint without thinking. I think I need to paint both ways, maybe at different times though, depending on the “plan”. It’s funny how painting more abstractly feels like I’m back at square one at times. I remember a book Lizzy told us about at EMC called “The Shock of the New”. Part of me has a long way to go to catch up to “the plan”. It’s great how our art journey can be reinvigorated continuously though isn’t it!
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