I finished the Chaffinch Generative Painting which feels very different than the rest of the studies. If anything, it reads like it was made during the same time period the layer painting group. I like it, but it doesn’t read as part of the collection; it seems to have landed as a bridge piece. Perhaps that’s good when building a body of work.
I made progress on my largest generative study as well. The week before, I’d felt stymied with artistic angst, and put off working on it. Now that it’s about two-thirds of the way complete, it’s the most dynamic of the group so far. I decided to use four different brush weights instead of a single one. In particular, it was fun working with the 15/0 liner. I really liked the versatility of this brush. It enables a broader range of stroke widths than the shorter round brushes I’d been using. I’ve decided to buy a few more to add to my brush selection.
One of the best parts of the generative studies is that they achieve both my conceptual goal of exploring the meaning of “human” creation while also acting as a means of exploring the craft of painting itself. The studies are excellent painting and color mixing practice, as well as a way to play with brushwork and practice hand control. It also gives a better understanding of my preferences for brush makes (I’ve liked my Princeton brushes the best of all of them), and also achieving paint consistency. One thing I’ve noticed is that the first generative study, which was the only one with line work applied straight onto the gesso, is that it has a different quality. The tooth of the gesso versus a layer of acrylic underneath made a difference in the texture and application of lines. It was also completed without the aid of retarder or flow media so the color is dramatic. I may go back to working directly on gesso for the next study.
Generative Line Study Painting VI 20210523 Work In Progress ©2021