Dramatic forms and gentle reflections
Judith Yates Be inspired by as she demonstrates how she creates her impressionistic landscapes in acrylic with layers of texture and glazes
Be inspired by Judith Yates as she demonstrates how she creates her impressionistic landscapes in acrylic with layers of texture and glazes
There are so many aspects of the natural world that inspire me but whatever the inspiration, dramatic lighting is a main feature of my work. I am constantly aware of light effects cutting through trees, casting long shadows or shining through mists and fog. I always take a camera out with me so that I can record specific moods and details. In the studio I use photographs and on-site sketches to recreate the atmosphere of the location and, in order to create my own interpretation of the scene, I will happily edit the photographic image, leaving out any unnecessary detail. When I first started using acrylic paint at college the medium was still a fairly unknown quantity. I used to try to make it behave like oil or watercolour but then realised that my best approach was to embrace acrylics and their particular properties. It was through trial, error and experimentation that they eventually became my favourite medium – and remain so to this day.
Texture and suggested detail
So many acrylic techniques and effects suit my intuitive approach to mark making. The fast drying time and ease of overpainting, means there is no fear of making mistakes and I am free to experiment with texture and layers, Late Autumn Lakeland, acrylic on canvas, 15¾319¾in (40350cm). This painting was all about the colours and textures. I made lots of different marks in the paint and layered up with sweeps of thick paint once dry but kept certain areas loose and washy as a contrast. The tree branches at the base were created by scraping through the first paint layer to reveal the background colour which constantly results in the new and unexpected. I’m able to move onto the next stage without stopping the flow of creativity. I often use a thick impasto paint applied with a palette knife, which can quickly be followed with a thin
transparent wash of colour to achieve a subtle unifying haze or a soft glow. I apply paint by splattering, dry brushing in thick layers with a palette knife for a less controlled approach. I often scrape back layers to reveal small remnants of underpainting. The paint is so strong and stable that you can keep working the surface, creating bold and subtle effects. Using various textures, marks and brushstrokes creates an impressionistic, multi-layered landscape that allows the painting to gradually emerge.
By adding texture to the underpainting with either paint or gesso, detail can be suggested with a dry brush dragged at an angle over the textured ground; this will pick up the raised surface and highlight the detail, implying light interacting with the landscape. I also use thicker texture in areas, which works particularly well in landscapes to describe uneven ground, grass, rocky outcrops or branches. It can attract the viewer’s attention and help with the addition of lines, paths and patches of light, to lead the eye through the composition and stop at strategic points.
Glazes
I am a great fan of glazes and use them throughout the painting. I often start by applying thin base layers to work over later with thicker paint. Because a white ground is so distracting, I start by covering the surface with either a mid-tone or loose wet washes of paint, filling in the mid-toned shapes and the dark areas of shadow. This helps me to see how the composition is looking and how the colours and tones are working together.
As the work progresses I use glazes of colour over large areas to take the tones down a notch. This unifies the painting, so that I can paint highlights and shadows on top of the resulting subtle colour, which helps make the cleaner, lighter colours sing.
When glazes are loosely worked over each other a number of times they also leave an interesting layered effect where the previous marks are still