The featured painting in today's post is one of my early works; Rainy Day Irises. The oil painting is also still one of my favorites. I was inspired to paint it while my two then-young children napped. I needed something to pass the time and it was absolutely pouring out on an early June afternoon. I peered out one of my living room windows and my gaze fell upon my flower garden. How beautiful, I thought - even in the rain. During that period of my art career, if you could call it that, I was using a wet technique of oil painting on canvas. Most of my subjects back then were either floral or landscapes and I used the local scenery as inspiration.
In the late 80's and early 90's, I used to use a primer called Miracle White, that not only primed the canvas, but also kept it wet, so blending was much easier to do. When actually doing the painting, I would use light strokes and somewhat minimal paint. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as my husband and I didn't have much money to spare back then and my supplies went farther! The real challenge with a wet technique, however, was if one used multiple strokes especially when combined with a substantial amount of oil paint, the result was usually a muddy mess. This process worked well for me at the time for several reasons; I could finish a painting in two hours or less, the canvas had a quicker than average drying time, and both of which were key with two kids under the age of four!
The iris painting was a little different compared to the works I had done in the past. This painting was lavished with a thicker coat of primer than normal and before it was dry, I layered the background with a pale dark teal blue. I also used a painting knife as my primary tool. The entire process lasted just over an hour, but the satisfaction of a job well done has lasted me for more than 20 years. This painting is the only work of it's kind to have survived from that time period (1985-1995) that is still in my personal collection. Just about all of my works from those first 10 years were painted over, although a good number of smaller works (and one mural) did sell. By the early summer of 1995 was when I completed my degree in Fine Art. My professors had taught me detailed, dry techniques that I use to this day. And I must admit years later, that the dry process is far more forgiving than just one or two brush strokes.
The wet / one stroke technique demands planning, clarity of thought, and allows zero room for second guessing a choice. There is only marginal area for correction. If the work is deemed a "mistake", then usually the entire canvas is painted over and the process begins again. The dry technique is a much slower, but less demanding process that does allow a person to change their mind and/or direction. It's also possible to paint over just a small section rather than the entire canvas.
I, as was my art, changing in the Spring and Summer of 1995. Prior to that, a wet technique was all I really knew or was familiar with. It's similar to life that way - we do what we know to do - until we learn a better way. It's all in the journey.
Until next time,
Jill
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