Blots and Circles

Following on from reading about accidental marks and cultivated chance, and wanting to link this in some way with my explorations of circles, with their ancient significance and connection with ritual.

The 'rough' circle paintiings/drawings I did in response to challnege from Joanthan (to do something that might go wrong) have become a point of interest.

I wanted to work larger on these and wanted to see to what extent 'pinning down' marks in pencil impacts the way the piece develops. My instinct was telling me that just beginning gesturally with 'blots' and without inhibition or predisposition is the best way to create a final piece that exudes more expression.

Ideas/thought processes connected with these circles are: imprints, memory of place, preserved energy, circular movement, unearthing and connecting with the past, ley lines.

I drew a soft outline in pencil for this one, before beginning with washes over it. I decided to work in green as it makes a change from blues/greys I often use. I noticed it gives a more representational feel to the painting, being as it is an arial view of an ancient standing stone site.

Next, I added some further definition to indicate where the ancient stones had once been. I'd already marked these out in pencil.

I kept layering up the watercolour, wanting to keep the tone quite gentle before then adding some line in pencil. These lines were done predominantly in continuous line, which i find such an effective way to create a feeling of movement and ambiguity. I use this a lot with my figures. I wondered whether using black ink would work too but didn't add it in the end as I thought it would be too strong against the green tones.

The following piece was done with a different approach - where I went straight in quite boldly with ink to create the circle shape, before dripping and bleeding ink into it. The tactile experience of working in this way is really good for focus and wellbeing. It reminded me of the times I've shown this technique to children and teachers in workshops as they love the feeling of freedom it enables.

While the ink was wet and sitting in its wash, I dragged it in diagonal lines outwards. In this process I'm essentially allowing the movement of paint to dictate the outcome and to allow a sense of chance to take over.

I continued moving the ink around before letting it dry. I then worked some neat sumi ink lines into it, trying to create an abstract form, but one implying the shape of a standing stone site. While the initial application of paint in circular motions was successful in creating an interesting effect on paper, I'm not quite sure I got the subsequent lines over the top quite right. In some way they seem to flatten the circle shape (although this hasn't happened with every one of these circle paintings so may have been chance that it didn't quite work). I think it could be improved by a lighter tone to add depth and variation. I also think more variation of the lines themselves is needed as these look a bit thick.

I started the one below with pencil too and was creating a slightly different shape. It's reminiscent of a stone circle, but not from a direct view from above. My plan was to try and indicate some figures in there, but in the end I muddied things a bit with paint. I'm aware that at the moment, I'm working on technique and ideas almost as separate entities and not being hugely successful at combining them together which is of course the ultimate aim. But I'm confident that all these accidents are an important part of the process.

24.11.22

This post continues with some further layers added to the pieces above. I'm trying to stay connected with process led painting and experiencing how paint can be layered over itself and how dry materials can interact with it.

Adding some further definition in pencil. I still like the green tones of this and it still looks quite gentle. I'm not sure yet whether that is where I want it to be. Perhaps the very nature of the subject (a forgotten neolithic site) lends itself to a feeling of stillness and peace.

I felt that this piece was getting muddy. I added some pencil marks to loosely define some of the shapes, hoping to indicate some figures moving. I think some of these were more successful than others. While the muddiness is still there and I won't likely take this piece further - I want to try it again from scratch as I like the perspective of the circle and how it feels like you could be within that space sharing the experience that's taking place. It differs quite a lot from the other circle depictions which are very much from a more areal and abstract view.

I added some meandering lines over a wash. I liked the shaping of it but felt it a little 2 dimensional.

I think adding the white chalk lines over the top created more depth. Next time I may not use the black ink at all and choose a more subtle tone.

I added some neat gouache , pulling out some details of the darker forms and bringing them more light. It's the first time I've used gouche without water and it gave me the idea of testing this out more.

Then, continuing with white chalk, I worked over the top of this one in a circular motion. The mark making aspect was really enjoyable. Working on several pieces concurrently allows me to drift in between pieces and not attaching myself too much to the outcomes.