Dreamers
Dreamers 1m x 1m
A short video where I complete this painting is below and if you managed to get to read my last post then you may see a very tenuous theme emerging, one of slumber or awakening. I have in the past painted people asleep in various situations. Do you know that amazing feeling of perfect sleep or being so relaxed before sleep happens? This is what I think of when I look at this piece.
Dreamers; is a one metre square painting. Over the years I have shied away from the square format as it is a tricky one to work with, I always feel that the sides of the painting are never very far away and this has a sort of crowding in feeling. However, for this subject I think it works well, hopefully there is enough pattern and line to keep it interesting and lead the eye around.
Initially I wanted the painting to be very light, with lots of light hues. I often have a yearning for painting white toned paintings, I have only succeeded once with a white painting, since then I find that colour creeps in and then it is no longer white. However, I did manage to keep the painting on a lighter level and really enjoyed some very abstract areas of blankets and bedding.
Looking back now after the painting is finished I now can see that there may have been an unconscious reference to a painting I saw earlier this year. I went to see a fabulous exhibition by the Spanish Impressionist painter Joaquin Sorolla at the National Gallery. I was amazed by the light and colours he used and also of the sheer size of the paintings which scaled the large walls of the National. One in particular drew my attention painted in 1895 titled Mother. It is full of beautiful light with just two figures in and so striking that it made everyone stop and stand to contemplate. I loved the way that he used very thick paint in some paintings and thinner in others, in some places it was so thick that it looked as if it had been plastered on.
Sleep has been a theme that reappears for me in my paintings and I hope to do more.
Mother by Joaquin Sorolla