What I always liked back when I was painting was the amazing differences you achieved depending on your mood or indeed what stage of life you were at. It shows so very clearly that emotion affects the application of paint to the canvas or board probably more directly than any other factor.
The following two pictures are of the same scene – Honfleur harbor in Northern France, but separated by some years. Managed at different times and under changed circumstances the two images are very different as you can see -
First painting in pictorial style
This image is very much a standard paint to canvas showing the scene as it would seem when sitting there at the harbor with people around, mostly other artists I have to say, with your easel set up and if I recall correctly on a lovely summers day. Brush strokes are spontaneous quick and assured as you rattle through the basic sketch outline , adding background washes then painting in color detail as you progress. The end result which would normally be finished off in the studio is a colorful and vibrant harbor scene and I was pretty pleased with it at the time.
In later years however, trawling through the paintings and images created at that time, you say to yourself – Oh I like that – maybe I’ll do it again. And so starts the repainting process, but now seen from almost different eyes and certainly from a quite changed perspective.
This next image is exactly the same scene, but what a difference on the page!
Honfleur a second time
Gone is the spontaneity and direct to the canvas color, most are muted and almost an impression of what was before. Whilst this is a more subtle paint the details are much more complicated – there’s a lot more going on and busier too. And that’s what I find often happens. The first time you are feeding off the image right in front of you and it’s predominantly a visual thing, then finishing off in a studio you might start to add in more of the senses felt at the time, so details become blurred as a little impression takes over.
This time of course it’s the impressions that dominate and you’re trying too to remember the detail, the noise, color and sensation of being there, but as a memory. However aware of that fact I decided on this one to really draw the outlines as a true sketch first so that I had a base to start from, rather than pure impressions (my true impressions are usually bordering on the Expressionist towards Abstract these days and appreciated only by the purist and the artist, namely myself). Now once the outline was in place for some reason my treatment became almost delicate, which I would have said was not really me.
I had expected a much stronger picture than it turned out and I had my explanations for it all planned out for this post! But funnily enough that day I was in an oddly perceptive mood, things were going well and I felt well – everything was in it’s place , both of which in themselves is a novelty I assure you.
And that’s the wonder of Art – be it direct or via computer – it is utterly creative and so controlled by mood, feeling and emotion that it’s always a surprise to me when I finally step back and look at what I’ve done.
If I decided to do this one again (and I’m sure I will) there’s one thing I can guarantee – it will be entirely different – again!
