A Bit of the Process

It takes many layers to make a lot of my paintings and sometimes it takes weeks. I use different materials and techniques to make the textured backgrounds and work on more than one painting at a time so the crackling will crackle or the mediums will work their magic.  I thought I would just post a few "Progress" pics here so you can see a bit of the process.
This one is called "Under the Sea" and is 30 x 30 on gallery sized canvas. This is one of the acrylic paintings that took me weeks of work.

With the Fibromyalgia and arthritis and the back injury, I do have to work at the paintings in increments and take breaks - sometimes it is hard to hold a brush so I use my fingers and sponges. I paint each day and it is my favourite part of the day.

that is a day's work for me ... I cannot work faster than that or do more and all of that motion with my hands meant pain later in the evening but I loved the start of this and it was a large canvas for me so - then it had to dry for a couple of days while I worked on another one. Here is another progress pic...

Lots of colour added (this was over a few days also as i added the colours separately or they would mix together )  we are getting some depth now




And the texture is growing - I don't think I took more pics but will see if I can find any and insert them here - otherwise you can see from this closeup, the texture and the detail increasing. I work on portions at a time and do not work right to left or left to right, I work on where the music takes me and then step back and let the painting tell me where it is going.

So stepping back, you can see the fish now and the way it is building up in layers.

I always love LOTS OF COLOUR so of course, this one was fun to do with the transparent colours and layers and mixing some and leaving others right out of the tube

Eventually it was done and turned into a fantasy seascape of underwater fish and coral and maybe that is what it is really like down there !! Remember the story about Atlantis?? Maybe ....

Then some final touches and wait again a few days for it all to dry thoroughly - this is acrylic so it does not take too long, but with oil paints you wait months before varnishing. So with this acrylic, then you can choose to varnish it (which brings out the colours and seals it) or leave it ... and I like to varnish most of mine. I did not varnish this one as it is such a large painting and I have nowhere to put it in the house to do it !! But I think when the warmer weather comes, I will spray it to seal it and at least get that vivid colour.

This is now available as prints, cards, reproductions on canvas, acrylic and metal surfaces through my websites   here is my Fine Art America website   Have a happy day no matter where you are, full of colour and fun ;)