Experimenting with different styles!

Each year, usually around the New Year holiday period, I spend some time experimenting with a different painting technique or style. This is often the result of art books or dvd gifts received or courses attended. It's also my strategy to stay fresh and keep learning rather than becoming boxed into one "style" or medium.

This year's experiment came as a result of joining a Facebook group on Negative Painting. I was immediately struck by the technique which involves creating an image by painting around it rather than painting it in and by creating depth by painting receding objects and layers in the spaces.

It took my brain quite a while to see the shapes between the objects as I am so used to painting the objects, and I had many failed attempts, but here is the first painting that I was reasonably pleased with!

In this painting, I started with a light varied wash of ultramarine, phthalo green and burnt sienna and then I created the first few toadstools and leaves by creating the dark space around them. After these had dried, I then continued in many layers up the page until finally finishing by creating the green hellebore leaves at the top. More experiments to follow ... should be a lot of fun!