Moments in motion

Being an illustrator, oil painting was not a speciality I was trained in; however I’ve recently taken an interest in the 17th century Dutch Golden Age with artists such as Vermeer, a genre which created realistic textures and depth through the use of glazing techniques.

Here, in the first of a series of musical still lifes, I am learning this process and recognising what works well for me and what doesn’t.

I think without the title ‘António’s Ribbons’ (which didn’t come until the end) this painting wouldn’t have worked compositionally because I didn’t take into consideration the brightness of the ribbons versus the focal point. If I had, I would have arranged them differently so the focal point was not cascading off the board…but the title makes it work.

I enjoyed the process of applying thin multiple layers of colours to achieve richness, allowing each layer to dry, but next time I’ll make a smoother job of the grisaille stage because my roughness can be seen in places.

All in all I am encouraged to carry on.