Contemporary Abstract Paintings
by Cheryl D. McClure

 

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Working over an old canvas.

.........please be patient, these aren't thumbnail images......

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This is the old acrylic painting, 24x36, that was never varnished so I can just go back and work over the old paint without a problem.

I decided to use cadmium red, transparent red oxide and Indian yellow. I brushed it on and then spritzed it with water from a spray bottle....and let it dry.

I didn't like it.......too garish. (seems to look better here than it did when I did it).

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I turned it vertically and drew with charcoal lines to divide the space.....as a guideline for organizing some of the shapes.
There were too many broken shapes and it was too much the same value all over. I turned it back to a horizontal format. I then went back in with lighter, neutral grays and tried to begin the unification process.......I left the red area alone....at least for now.

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I then painted with ochers and reds in the lower right quadrant of the painting. I also added more paint to the whole surface of the canvas.........I even signed it.
Through the night, I kept thinking about the painting's values......and the design just didn't seem right. I got up early the next day and added another shape to the upper left quadrant to tie the red shapes to the edges and generally refined the whole central and upper parts of the painting, I also added a little more light in some areas.

Now.....I think it's finished.

Little Pieces of Land V

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