Trying Something New
For years after mixing paint I’ve been wiping the excess from my palette knife onto my easel. The easel had sustained water damage in a previous life and I thought the best way to cover up the damage was to smear paint all over it. Years of doing this has created a very colorful abstract mess which I find entirely delightful. A couple months ago I decided I wanted to see what would happen if I started that same type of treatment on canvas. So, I took an 8×10 canvas and started smearing my palette knife across it every time I mixed up paint. I did this during the process of creating 3 different paintings and ended up with a pretty cool abstract piece. But, it didn’t feel finished to me and I wanted a mask to be its subject matter. So, a couple nights ago I grabbed my palette knife and started painting right on top of the textured surface. It was a very liberating experience watching the mask rise from this abstract chaos. I love the way the textures and earlier colors show through the final composition giving it a very organic feel. It was tremendous fun and I anticipate more like this will be coming.
“Hermes” – 10″x8″ – Acrylic on Canvas – Completed 9-4-08
©2008, Don Michael, Jr.
Hi Don:
This painting is wonderful. I agree with you about brushwork sometimes being tight. I find I have less control with details using a pallet knife…which is probably a good thing. Another good thing is learning when to stop fiddling with it. I like your idea of using excess oil paint on a canvas. I’m going to do that instead of letting it dry on the pallet. That is such a waste. Rosemary
Thanks, Rosemary. This was such a fun experiment which set me on an entirely different course as an artist. I’d love to see what you come up with using your excess paint. Happy Painting, Don
[...] It excited the painter in me in ways no other tool ever had. I wrote about that first experiment here, and then the affects it had on [...]