This summer I downscaled and made a collection of small abstract paintings which has prooved to be a great painting experience!
These works on paper have a real lightness to them that I enjoyed playing with because finding ‘lightness’ in painting is an element I’ve been working on for the past year. Lightness and balance lends an ethereal sofness to paintings and I may just have acheived the type of paintings I wanted to make this year through this body of work.
Each painting is framed to a high standard using museum quality glass (to protect the painting) white mount and sprayed white wooden frames. There are two size options for these paintings 44x44cm, £400 or 43x33cm, £350.
About these paintings:
These small abstract paintings follow on from my last series of works but as they’re on paper they read a little differently. I had actually planned on upscaling this summer but due to Covid and Brexit painting materials (like many other materials!) are in short supply. So as an alternative I went back to working on paper. Changing paint surfaces is actually a good habit as it makes me think about the painting differently- how I approach it and apply paint. I find this is a good exercise in keeping things fresh in my studio practice.
Painting materials and techniques:
I made these paintings using oil paint, oil bar and charcoal. I’m a little obsessed with these materials and have been working with them as a combined trio for the last 4 years. If you follow my Instagram account you will know how I love to manipulate and push these materials.
For example, something I find really pleasurable when painting is to mix oil paint with charcoal- this is a really delicious painting process to get stuck into because mixing the dryness of charcoal with the wetness of oil paint gives a wonderful depth and texture.
Because these small abstract paintings are made on oil paper I wasn’t able to work into the surface as much as I would when working on a panelboard or canvas. However, I still employed the same painting techniques such as scraping in through the layers of paint, scratching off paint to reapply it for effect and applying/ removing areas with masking tape to build a hard-edged paint line. All this done with a little less pressure so the paper would not rip or curl.
Please let me know if you have any questions about these new small abstract paintings, always happy to chat! If you are not in the London area I can send you detail images and videos so you will know exactly what you are getting. For larger works on panel board & canvas please view here.
Thanks for checking out my paintings, Aisling x