Not in My Backyard
This enchanting picture based on a simple and familiar topic has been created by Cash Brown in traditional oils.
STEP ONE
Generally, I begin a work by making a sketch on paper using a fine felttip pen. The sketch looks a bit like ‘colour by numbers’ and in fact acts as such for me during the stages of the painting. This helps sort out compositional problems early, and before I have committed to paint; and this type of drawing is much more revealing than a photograph, despite being heavily edited.
STEP TWO
I decide on the scale. This work only needed to be small as it was a simple idea (with strong geometric shapes) and didn’t need a lot of detail. I tend to make larger works with more complicated structures, mainly because I don’t enjoy fiddling with little brushes. However, if the idea is big, or the disparity of scale
is important in emphasising the content, I will make the work large.
STEP THREE
I usually prepare the canvas with a coat of medium and allow it to dry, but in this case I decided to paint over an unsuccessful attempt at a simple still life. I just lightly sanded it before commencing painting.
STEP FOUR
I chose my palette partly from habit, as it is usually pretty similar for most works: Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Green, Sapphire, Diox Purple, Magenta, Cobalt Blue, Titanium White and Langridge Painting Medium.
STEP FIVE
I roughly mixed the approximate main colours and placed them in their approximate places. I invariably do not draw on the canvas first as I end up colouring in and find it difficult to adjust the positions of the patches of tone.
STEP SIX
I built the picture by expanding the patches, giving them shape and relating them to one another by carrying colours across from one ‘pool’ to another. This happens on the palette and the canvas simultaneously. In fact, most of my mixing happens on the canvas.
STEP SEVEN
This is often where the painting gets muddy so it’s important to keep brushes clean and lay the paint on rather than scrubbing it in. It is also important not to mix too many colours together. If I’m creating a shadow colour, I will try to use the transparent complimentary of the light colour. I will therefore always use opaque colours for my lights. Transparent shadows are important; don’t try to make a colour darker (especially if it has white in it) by adding black or a darker version of that colour to it – mix a new lot of paint instead.
STEP EIGHT
I tend to save the darkest darks and the lightest lights until last and I rarely add white until the purest forms of the colours have done their work. This is because a brightness can be used instead of a lightness, and also it is easier to darken sections to make others appear lighter. For example, the yellow bush behind the letterbox has no white in it.
FINAL STEP
The last stages of a painting involve tidying up edges (usually by addressing negative shapes), adding any important small details and then leaving it alone – even though I feel I could do more. It is really hard not to fiddle and overwork the piece and one must resist this temptation or risk losing all the freshness and spontaneity. ‘Paintings are never finished, they just stop in interesting places’ … I can’t remember who said that, but it’s true.
This painting was done in one session, wet into wet, and took about two hours. Some paintings can be done in half an hour, while with others I can battle fruitlessly for days. It depends on how confident I am and how well I know the subject. I