Facing the empty expanse of the bright white that is a new canvas is
daunting for many artists. We often apply a coloured ground to calm our fears
and banish the glare. Most times however, it's the first step of the chess game
of painting. The first steps are the groundwork; setting the
stage for the layers of action to come.
Girl Surfer oil on canvas © Carol Lee
Beckx
This morning I had a reminder of a colour that is a frequent
choice as an underpainting. Favorite Paint Mixture: Permanent Rose PV 19 was
the subject of a blog post by Elizabeth Floyd this morning.
The clean freshness of Permanent Rose makes a wonderful ground for many
subjects. As you can see from the images here, I have used it for landscapes as
well as flowers. It gives immediate vibrancy to the canvas.
Hot Palms oil on canvas © Carol Lee
Beckx
Sometimes the presence of this powerful colour can cause a
few problems but it’s seldom been that I have had to obliterate all trace of it
in a painting.
Pink Roses with Mirrors Work in progess© Carol Lee
Beckx
I love the idea of hiding layers beneath my paint - only I know what secrets lie beneath the surface. (Clearly, many
I hope you enjoy looking for some of these early layers underneath the paint of the completed paintings.
Towards Kaapse Hoop oil on canvas © Carol Lee
Beckx
To read more about Elizabeth Floyd's colour mixtures here is the link the post.