Progression of a BIG PINK commission.
I painted a big commision and thought you might like to see the progression in pictures! It is just under 5ft square and acrylic on canvas.. not my usual medium or style, but a great project that has inspired me to use it as a launching place for a new series. You never know how a commission or a ‘one off’ can inspire, educate and really push the limits of your skills, vision and interest!
Starting with color sample mixes on a swatch I laid it on the custom canvas and stared at it ‘forever’! Once I began, it was about laying in complex shades of pink to really bring in some depth and interest, but staying loose enough to start letting the painting itself have some life of its own. With a piece of this scale, this stage takes a lot of time and paint. I have an instagram reel or two of this process, but can’t figure out how to post in my inaugural blog post, so just go look if you want to see. https://www.instagram.com/kellywilliamsart/
Then is was about adding structure and pattern, really working on repetition and scale of pattern. A big ‘ah-ha’ happened when I finally was able to get some good value/contrast happening and took a leap to add the black bass notes to ground it. I made some of my own stencils as well as using some that I had on hand, but did a surprising amount free hand allowing me to vary size and give it a more organic feel.
Once I did that, it was up and hopping. I had a blast dancing with all the shapes and strokes, letting them lead me around the painting. Then, it was time to refine, push and pull to create balance.
I knew I wasn’t finished, but wanted my client to come a take a peek at where it was to see if there were any ‘gems’ she didn’t want me to lose or anything that wasn’t resonating. This is always a tricky meeting, but she was very happy with the risks and detours I took from our original conception and gave me the green light to push it further.
Fun Fact about this piece. The night we really hashed out what she wanted we shared an inspirational moment listening to a musician we didn’t know we both shared a deep love for. When I started to stumble while creating it (as is part of the process) I kept going back to that song and my Beth Hart playlists to reinvigorate the magical sparks that helped it come into fruition. When we decided on the orientation we also noticed there was a heart like shape so it seemed even more fortuitous to keep it! The current working title is ‘The Hart of the Matter’
I literally finished the piece (except the final varnish) the day before I left for a trip to Palm Springs and decided to invite my client to join me to gallery hunt with me and visit my daughter who is relocating. I dressed in crazy patterns to visit galleries and enjoy the inspirational art of this classic midcentury city. As a matter of fact, I am not even home yet and trying to get this first blog up was an extension of my attempt to get a newsletter out today. Still don’t know if that will happen at this rate.
