Retrospective – Desert skull

So what happened? Why did I suddenly disappear off my own website?

Truth be known, I think I needed a break. I’m also sensing a theme. I’m guessing that if I check back through my posting history, I will find a lull right in the middle of winter. Seasonal disaffective disorder maybe? A little too much gloom and not enough inspiration? Possibly. If it is recurring, I guess I will have to learn to work around it.

But the difference between this time and previous blog-and-art-down-turns is that I still had art class to keep me arting.

I have been attending a small, private art school since the beginning of the year. Focussing solely on painting, I think after three terms that I can now declare myself a real painter 😀 I have learn a huge pile of stuff, mostly about myself and what my style seems to favour, what I like painting and what I don’t, and practise, lots of practise, has done me wonders.

The last painting I posted here was what I initially titled Still life with Emotion, and have since retitled ‘The Letter‘.

Now at the time I was very disappointed with the composition. I was happy in the majority with my technique, but was having trouble with the positioning of each of the objects (I tried something new and it crashed and burned). But I learnt a great deal, and will forever be in love with that plum in the center, and hate that jug for the torture it put me through to get the final effect.

After we finished this assignment I disappeared from this blog except for one random post about photography. But the art class didn’t stop and next we tackled a Georgia O’Keeffe style of painting with the subject of skulls.

First we did a sketch of the skull in pastel/conte and charcoal. I was happy enough with that. I quite like sketching, though I don’t do it often.

And from that sketch we had to work out a composition for our painting. This was my first attempt.

Georgia O’Keeffe painted lots of skulls in lots of deserts, so our assignment was to create a composition of a skull with a desert like background. I, of course, wanted to go Australiana, so red sand and my beloved Sturt Desert Peas. This composition didn’t work for me though. I needed that skull front and centre and to be the prominent feature with strong perspective (perspective is not my friend), and this just wasn’t doing what I wanted it to do.

So I drew another composition drawing.

Similar, but different, and with more impact. Happy, I then started painting.

I had a huge fight with the sand ripples. They are not easy to paint, be warned, sand ripples are evil!

See here I thought I had those ripples working well….turns out that I haven’t and will have to discuss this with this painting at a later date.

Add a skull…

If you’ve been following me on Facebook, you would have seen all of the above before. But you’ve never seen the finished painting, because it isn’t finished. This is what it looks like now while it is gathering dust in my studio.

And a couple of closeups…

So, why did I stop? I was certainly excited about it and enjoying it. I was having a little trouble with the grass, but the peas were working wonderfully and I was receiving a lot of great compliments on it. I really wanted to finish it.

I stopped because I ran out of time. I didn’t finish it by the time it was due and the next project rolled in. I have limited time and really only enough for one class project at a time, so I picked up the next project and dropped this.

I have tried to pick it backup again, but I’ve lost the space it was living in my head and my technique has been altered by the projects that followed. I find myself almost scared to touch it in fear I’ll stuff it up with one errant brushstroke. But it is sitting there and one day I will tackle it. I’m so happy with it, it is worth finishing.

So what was the next project, why did it have me tearing my hair out, and why didn’t even my Facebook get to see it finished?

Next project, next post 😀

Best wishes.
Liz