Working out of my comfort zone.
After all these years (since I started painting again in 2013!) I still haven’t found my style ikigai (a Japanese term for "a motivating force; something or someone that gives a person a sense of purpose or a reason for living").
I think I’m almost there .. I can feel the thrill of when a painting finally feels finished, and I just admire it a little bit, because sometimes I have no idea how I managed to do it.
Having my series State of being alphabet allows me a little more freedom to experiment and try things maybe I wouldn’t.
I recently finished “Uprush” and really like how it came out. I went through many versions though for new techniques while using acrylics that I haven’t used in years!
I was almost going to leave this a black and white painting. I really love the textures and felt it would be the focal point.
However I still wanted to try new techniques. Onto acrylic and a dry brush; scraping and stippling the paint, then onto washes at the bottom.
After leaving the layer on the above right version overnight it felt a bit flat and dark. I knew I needed white, but I also had to go full colour and blending again. It’s just what I do and I need to embrace that.
I still need to work on composition and colour balance, but I feel this end result is something I am happy with and would love to explore more. What do you think? Let me know in the comments!
31cm (W) x 41cm (H) x 4cm (D)
Mixed Media on canvas, stretched and ready to hang.
This does not come framed.
Signed with a certificate of authenticity.
U is for ‘uprush’
n. an upward rush. psy (from the subconcious)
This is part of my series ‘state of being alphabet’ - read more about it here
Continuing my series of style exploration, I chose to abstractly portray a mountain range and work with acrylic paints for the first time in a long while.
I found oils created too much shine on my textures and sometimes leaned into the ‘tacky’ arena. Acrylics dry matte and for this one I think it creates a sense of low light mystery, almost as if you are trekking up the mountain at night after dusk. I feel I was a little looser with my brush strokes and this adds to the roughness of the landscape.
Original Artwork © Victoria FitzGerald 2022
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Proudly made in Melbourne, Australia.
Click this link to learn more about my background and artistic process.