New Mixed Media Collage Demonstration by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Sunday Stroll", acrylic and collage, 12 x 12"

This is the last demo I did for my workshop, and I took a couple of step-by-step photos to help you see how I got here. To begin with, the palette I used to stain and decorate my papers for all of the workshop demos posted yesterday and today, is a simple one of Green Gold or Azo Green and Quinacridone Magenta, along with Carbon Black and gesso for a white.
We dyed and decorated many pieces of tissue paper using all the combinations of the above colours plus black and white. The ones with the white added become more opaque with the increasing amount of gesso in the mix.

I used my above plein air painting as the impetus for this collage, as I liked the simple shapes. I drew the 5 large shapes on my support with a sharpie marker so I could see them through the transparent collage layers. You can see the lines in step one below.

This was the start. The idea was to keep the 5 shapes separate by assigning each one a specific value and then trying to find papers in that value range. This step has collage only on it.

This was the second step. I have begun to add collage papers to distinguish the value shapes a bit better. There still isn't any paint added at this stage.

Here is the painting as it sits now on my 'observation shelf' in my studio. Since the colours seemed to suggest a rock rather than a bush, I decided to take the painting in that direction. I have changed some of the shapes to add interest, and have added some negative painting to make the weed growth in the lower left corner. I have done some outlining of some shapes with different coloured paint on a rigger brush and have negatively and positively painted trees in the upper third. I think I need to strengthen the linking of the dark value pattern to make it more interesting, and try to figure out if I can live with the shoreline not being more straight. I like the feeling of reflections happening in the 'water' area on the bottom, but maybe that could be stronger. I will post it again if I decide to make any changes to it, but that will have to wait for a rainy day!
By the way, I am teaching 2 plein air workshops coming up- the first on June 4 & 5 and the other June 11 & 12. Let me know if you would like more details.

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, or commission your own painting, please email me.
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