Hello, I hope you are doing well.
I hope this 2024 brings you joy, peace, wealth and health.
Some reflexions and thoughts about painting I had recently are about the way I like to paint. It is more about technique and feelings, because one thing I am sure is that I am not going to do things that they do not feel right, that do not let me be happy in painting. Translating this in technique I can say that direct painting is one of these approach that suits the better for me now. However, despite the time and the actual manual work of painting practice, as a shoemaker, I am learning all the time, implementing acquired knowledge related to the practice itself. That means that, by the circunstancies, it not always will be possible for me to solve a painting in a direct way (Alla prima). And that is ok. I already mention this but due to the nature of my work, that is very related to a moment, I really don’t enjoy to work on a painting for too long as the moment itself it went off. The time that I enjoy working on a painting goes off fast. I lost interest. As a captured moment in painting with a camera. This is why acrylic painting suits very well in my practice, even more in my sketchbook sketches. That is why I translated recently this acrylic practice to my bigger works, serving this medium for the underpainting. I love acrylics. They are just perfect for quick studies.
One thing that is very important for me, besides the technique, is understanding (and feeling) how much I want to work on a piece, or in better words, how much a piece needs to be worked. And saying that, for me, most of the times less is more, but it has to be a well done less. That part is my favorite part because I will probably be searching for a final and definitive brush stroke more than building a painting by multiple deconstructed layers. However, this can be a trap because I can be very tempted to leave a painting like that instead on going further (which sometimes it is necessary and sometimes it is not) In this way two paths crosses: the happiness of my well placed brush stroke and the desire to go further because I feel something is missing. In every case, always follow the gut.
This is what it is happening right now that I am working on bigger pieces of work, that time, size of the brushes and the nature of the painting (drying times etc) are variables that influences the decisions I make while working on a painting.
So by this time, I am working on my bigger paintings with an indirect approach but in a direct way. As much as I can. Because coming back to one painting, again and again is like if I had to take the same decisions over and over again, like why I have to do this, if I already thought about it.
Check out my last video and subscribe if you liked it! I am working on this painting on canvas applying the oil painting layer. I hope you enjoy it!
WORKSHOPS
I host oil painting workshops every month, if you are interested, please let me know. If you have a place and want me to organize a workshop I will be happy to be in touch. I can host workshops in French and in Spanish too.
My Patreon page is on hold during this month of January 2024. I am actually thinking about the content I create for it and how I would love to work with in the future. If you have suggestions about the content you would like to enjoy on Patreon please, let me know! Patreon is a platform by subscription so you can support me by month and have some rewards in return :) I would love to thank all my Patrons for their support!
I am currently taking painting commissions, I work with acrylic painting and oil painting. If you are interested in ordering a commissioned painting or drawing, please take a look into my online shop. If you have something in mind that it is not available in the following options of my online shop, we can discuss. You can also email me: elenaburcioa[at]gmail.com if you have questions or a project.
I hope you have a nice day,
See you soon.
Elena.