Introduction
Over the previous few weeks I have been working on a large-scale painting of Drypool Bridge at low tide on a dark January morning.
I wanted to continue my experiments with painting on large canvases, which have increased in size to 3 feet by 4 feet.
Working on such a large scale is a challenge conceptually and physically.
Working Methods
I started by covering the canvas with a burnt umber/ yellow ochre wash. I felt that this would form a good base for the cold January morning image.
I sketched out an initial first sketch, to place the main features into position.
Initial first sketch
I felt that it was important to achieve a "layered" effect to gain depth to the picture, and started by blocking in the buildings in the distance so that they could recede.
I realised that one of the main challenges would be to correctly interpret the structure of the bridge and its engineering. I researched the background to this type of bridge. A bascule bridge (sometimes referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or "leaf", throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or double-leafed. Drypool Bridge is a "Scherzer" lifting bridge, which is a type of rolling bascule bridge. The mechanism is clearly visible in my painting.
At my first attempt at sketching the bridge I got the number of "V" shaped elements wrong and had to wipe them out and start again.
Second stage (bridge structure corrected)
Third stage (railings and tone added)
As the painting progressed I added the railings to the bridge, which gave the composition another dimension. I felt that the railings increased the feeling of recession and layers. I also darkened the tone of the water and added painting medium to help portray the shiny effect of the water in the low morning sun. I aimed to ensure that the shapes on the water surface reflected the nature of the water at low tide and painted some loosely applied drip effects which I let run down the canvas.
At the final stage I added detail to the wooden staging underneath the bridge and some shadows to the grass behind the posts and twigs in the foreground.
Final painting
Detail:
Bridge structure
Water shapes and drips
Wintery twigs
Waterside grass and shadows
Depth to wooden structures beneath bridge
Overview
I think that the finished painting has a lot of character and emotion.
The colours are subdued and reflect the daylight and time of year. The recession works well with the number of layers created within the composition. The paint handling uses a number of different approaches - for example, tight control over the engineering structure of the bridge, loosely applied paint for the water, sometimes in drips, and painting medium for the water and to depict the depth to wooden structures.
My main influences remains Sheeler (structures), Raedecker (unfinished look and restricted palette) and Doig (for paint handling).
I learned a lot from this painting. Next time I will experiment more with negative space as in this instance it was mainly restricted to the sky. Also, I will think carefully about layering to gain depth to any new composition and I will study carefully the abstract shapes of objects to achieve greater definition.
No comments:
Post a Comment