Buy your copy of “Art in the Age of Emergence” here!
Category Archives: Tarot-related paintings
Magic Sam
To my great pleasure today my model for the Magician came to the studio to visit. Sam did a great job posing for the painting, so it was a real treat to see her enjoying it, although I had to leave … Continue reading
Posted in Magician, Making work, Other people's work, Sources
Leave a comment
Shadows over Stripes
Putting a little Van Dyke Brown over the stripy suit has made it feel far more solidly within the painting, while a drop shadow at her feet and additional work over the foreground on the left side has made a … Continue reading
Posted in Magician, Making work
Leave a comment
A Wet White Magician
The Pre-Raphaelites were famous for their use of a technique called “wet-white” painting, in which the artist first paints the flesh areas of a figure white, then blends into and over the layer of white with transparent flesh tones. I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in Magician, Making work, Pre-raphaelite
2 Comments
Whiter than White Stripes, Alchemical Salts
I’ve spent a short time working with re-rendering the whites of the Magician’s clothing in order to build some substance to the paint and simply to clean up the glazes that had stained the figure while painting the background. The … Continue reading
Posted in Alchemical work, Magician, Making work
Leave a comment
Alchemical Colours and the Dirt
Fifteenth century alchemical process followed a sequence of colour changes as the work progressed. Black (nigredo), White (albedo), Yellow (citrinitis) and Red (rubedo). Now coloured, the flags in the landscape indicate that this is an alchemical image, with a blue … Continue reading
Posted in Alchemical work, Magician, Making work, Sources
Leave a comment
Lights on the Mud
Adding a little Lead White to the patches of mud prepares them for another layer that will make the surface feel more solid. The little pebbles that I did first have all taken a glaze of Raw Sienna that makes … Continue reading
Posted in Magician, Making work
Leave a comment
The World is Mud-luscious
Working with paint in a loose and spontaneous way has resulted in this Raw Umber layer that will provide the structure for the mud surface of the land around the pool. It all looks a little dark now, but the … Continue reading
Posted in Magician, Making work, Soapbox
Leave a comment
Depth
I’ve posted two almost identical pictures today to show the difference a bit of subtle work makes to a painting – the first picture is the end result of this afternoon’s work, the second you already saw on Saturday evening. … Continue reading
Posted in Magician, Making work
Leave a comment
Landscape Flag Cross
At last I got a full day in the studio, getting a lot of painting done. It was so exciting to be able to develop ideas as the day passed, imagining new steps to take to drive the painting forward. … Continue reading
Posted in Magician, Making work
Leave a comment
Red Pool Rising
Turning the painting upside down was really great because it made it so much easier to paint the sky, which now is turning into a substantial and striking feature. I’ve flipped the photo to make it easier to see the … Continue reading
Posted in Magician, Making work
Leave a comment
