In the pink: new sunset originals
Bathed in Light - original monotype NOW SOLD - image size 51 x 74cm
In this latest series of work, I focused on developing my palette of colours to obtain that magical glow of light from a glorious sunset. It's not easy, I can tell you! The colours can easily become muddied as they overlap one another.
I've learnt a lot about the colour pink recently... As I'm sure you know, pink is made from mixing white and red but which red? I'm lucky enough to have quite a few - Crimson, Vermilion, Cadmium Red Deep and Magenta. Each one makes a distinctively different pink which is affected by the colours printed before and after. You can see some of my ink mixes recorded on this sketchbook page.
I tried a number of combinations using different pinks in different areas. In these first two large monotypes, you can see that the pink turns to mauve when it's printed over blue. Bit by bit, I'm unravelling this colour mystery and becoming better at making predictions and using the right tint in the right place.
Lone Ranger - original monotype £795 framed with art glass, £695 mounted - image size 51 x 74cm
For the two above, I was getting a real colour buzz from the gold/pink/grey combination toward the horizon. There's a palpable sense of warm light which is a big step in the right direction for me. The main difference between the two (apart from the number of trees!) is that the land area for the top one was pure mark-making with cloth, cotton buds and a BBQ stick whilst the lone tree one has the printed textures that are my trademark look. It was exciting to move away from the textures for a while and use some softer marks.
Sunset Seedheads - original monotype NOW SOLD - image size 40 x 40cm
This seedheads picture is a new idea which I may well develop in the future. With strong backlighting, I was able to include plant forms with varied colours to indicate the sunlight falling on them. In the video below, you can see me working on the seedheads and grasses for this piece. There were 6 layers of ink in total - 3 sky layers, 2 seedhead layers then the trace monotype drawing.
Sea View with Seedheads - original monotype £795 framed with art glass, £695 mounted - image size 51 x 71cm
Strictly not part of my current series, but a straggler from the last one, this large, complex composition (above) develops the foreground grasses idea from my popular print "Hidden Sands". I liked the very pale stubble field which is a perfect contrast to the rich textures and spikey forms of the grasses and seed heads. You can just see the initial idea in the top left of my sketchbook page below.
These last two originals (below) saw a bold change in the landscape to pure, velvety black for maximum drama! I've taken this idea from some of the night skies pictures I've done and worked up a dramatic sunset sky using a rainbow roll of colours overprinted with blues, greys and pinks. Just two layers this time. The trees were my first attempt at Scots pine which always seem to have wonderful tufty silhouettes!
Sunset Scots Pine - original monotype £550 framed with art glass, £450 mounted - image size 38 x 58cm
I'm developing a series of views of Sycamore Gap for The Sill Landscape Discovery Centre. I was thinking of Hokusai's 36 views of Mount Fuji. Maybe I could have 36 views of Sycamore Gap... This is probably only number 5 so a long way to go! I used the rainbow colour roll again and gave a firey intensity to the colours behind the tree.
Sycamore Gap Silhouette - original monotype NOW SOLD - image size 40 x 40cm
These original monotype paintings are now available for sale. I'll be adding them to my shop page shortly but in the meantime just send an email or give me a ring if you're interested in purchasing one. They can be sent unframed to international customers as well as UK.