Updated: Feb 15
If you've followed my creative progress for a while, you'll know that I've been experimenting with paint and collage alongside my printmaking. It's been about two years now since I picked up a paintbrush (other than painting house walls!) I feel that I've made a lot of progress and I'm starting to find a style of my own. It's a constantly evolving thing so don't be surprised if that style changes over time!
I'm delighted to share with you this latest series of acrylic paintings on paper incorporating collage. A lot of things came together for me in these pieces. Firstly, the subject matter began to be more specific, with references to the structured shapes of formal gardens contrasting with the organic shapes of plants and flowers.
Animals, especially birds continue to be the point of focus. Somehow a garden without a protagonist seems rather empty and without purpose. Maybe one day, when I'm very brave, I'll put people in there! Would you like to see that? I'd welcome your comments below.
Many of the ideas and shapes have come from my own garden, lovely gardens I've visited (like Nunnington Hall) or even the local park. I was really struggling to see a way forward for the piece below but when I was out for a run in the park, I saw the long elegant shapes of fallen leaves from a weeping willow. Looking up, I saw it's graceful descending branches and I knew at once that would be right for this painting.
The method I'm using has consolidated and become more personal. I love making the lightly textured background and filling it with colour, rather as I once did with etchings. The masked out shapes of the windows and arches connect to the paper stencils I use in my monotype as well as the layered translucent colours.
Collage is a fascinating way of moving colour around: in one place a collage paper piece can be camouflaged but move it to a contrasting background area, and it suddenly becomes activited and sometimes appears to vibrate with optical intensity. Working like this, I have the strongest sensation that I'm doing "my thing".
I worked on these pieces at home, away from my printmaking studio and the patterns of work I've established there. My evenings are very busy with family and work stuff but I squeeze in the odd hour of cutting a few shapes or adding a painted layer. It helps to have times of reflection inbetween to see the way forward.
My painting desk is always laid out with paper and paint, ready to go, to make the most of these windows of opportunity. This work area is squeezed into the bedroom so one has to put up with a certain amount of "mess" in order to facilitate the work. Anyway, I regard creative mess as rather beautiful and exciting; it calls to you to return!
These cat and bird paintings with collage are available to purchase now. Just get in touch by phone on 07717 256169 or email info@rebecca-vincent.co.uk We can talk about framing options plus UK and international delivery.
If you liked these paintings, you can see more like them in my onine shop
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