Animal Magic - new collage paintings
Alongside my printmaking, I've been creating these paintings with collage. I do them in the evening at home, away from my studio. Somehow it's easier to focus on a different way of working in a different space. The psychology of trying something different has been tricky - I can quickly become dissatisfied with the new style work as it's doesn't have the years of practice and experience that lie behind my landscapes in monotype. But, knowing that it will take time to develop, I press on and just keep working and producing. When you put in the time, it's inevitable that you will see progress.
These animal collages are quite light-hearted, like illustrations in a children's book. What I'm really exploring here is colour relationships. How does a motif (a shape) resonate with it's background. It's not as easy as it sounds - the colours can clash or they can be too similar. I'm aiming for the colours to sing in relationship to one another; to give a feeling of contrast and harmony simultaneously!
I've been working with paint for just over a year now and I'm starting to find the techniques that resonate with me and the subjects I want to portray - animals in the landscape using acrylic paints, inks and collage. I make my own collage papers by painting layers of colour on light paper and making marks with a variety of tools. My two boys loved Eric Carle books and I enjoyed his illustrations that are collaged from painted tissue paper. I've also been thinking about Matisse's paper cut-outs which have always been a source of inspiration. I love the simplified shapes, the lightly referenced natural forms and the crisp, decisive edges.
I enjoy bringing collage papers together that relate to one another in their colours and patterns - it's a bit like preparing a patchwork quilt. I'm feeling my way with the backgrounds, mixing more muted colours that will allow the bright collage papers to take centre stage. I work in layers, blending colours with a brush then working back into them negatively, removing paint with a cloth, palette knife or stick. This has a lot in common with mark-making in monotype so it comes easily to me to work in this way, wiping away to reveal the colours below.
For the animals, I'm trying different approaches: sometimes cutting out from collage papers that have a random pattern, and sometimes painting within an outline before cutting out, to be more intentional about it's appearance as for the peacock below. The eyes are really important as they are the natural focus of the image so I take my time over those. I'm not aiming for a realistic portrayal, more a character with style and unexpected visual qualities. I tried the patterns for the peacock many times, moving away from how they really look to something more fluid and unexpected.
Garden flowers continue to inspire me - the garden and allotment bring so much joy and colour into our lives. The forms of the flowers are complex so I try to simplify them in a way that captures what's essential. Backgrounds for flowers need a lot of thought - just painting on white isn't enough for me - the colours need to bounce off their surroundings. There are so many options for this - paint around, paint over, collage on top... I'll keep experimenting and find what's going to work best for me.
"Flower Power", above, suggests a way forward with a mixture of collage and inks. I can't make up my mind whether the white spaces keep it fresh and spontaneous or whether it just looks unfinished! Let me know what you think in the comments below.
In these last ones, I was aiming at more grungy backgrounds that would contrast with the bright delicacy of the flowers - like a poppy growing on waste ground.
These mixed-media paintings are available to purchase now unmounted, mounted or framed. Just get in touch by phone +447717256169 or email info@rebecca-vincent.co.uk I can give you a quote for framing/mounting and delivery.