Studio Diary- Back to Aberystwyth!

Hi and welcome back to my blog!

I can now finally say I am back in Aber! and back in my studio creating (yay). It has felt like such a long time coming however it is so lovely to be back now and I can already feel so much more inspired in the studio environment.

Since the last time many things have changed in my work and the weather aswell, which allows me to try new things and ways of painting which is exciting!

Firstly I would love to touch upon what I have gotten up to during Easter break;

title- Untitled and unfinished, Acrylic on board, approx. 21x29.7cm

This was a tricky piece to create I wanted to try and see how having two roads in one painting would look and feel. My tutor believed it could be confusing for a viewer, in what road they should follow, and the I saw what she meant, and maybe I should go back to the drawing board and try this same composition but in a portrait format concentrating on the road leading up to the castle;

title- untitled and unfinished, acrylic on board, approx. 21x29.7m

This composition was definitely signalling the focal point of the painting being the castle in this. however I believe the piece as a whole lacked anything interesting and did not excite me to create which sets alarm bells instantly!

Moving along to a piece I believe to be a good step in the right direction. Below is a painting I created on the last weeks of Easter. It has great potential and I have learnt many things by creating this, for example, how to balance a piece out, especially with this one I have had trouble sometimes balancing a piece with abstract and realistic elements, however after a discussion with my tutor I tried bringing the geometric shapes into the sky and it was the best idea! (before and after images below) it could be overpowering but I just love how the shapes correspond with the shadows in the road. Below I have also included the start of this painting with the ground colour and how it looks before I start adding colour.

Underpainting

Before

After, title- abstracting spring, acrylic on board, approx. 21x29.7cm

Now in the studio I have decided to step out of my comfort zone in compositions. the image below is what I was inspired by, I saw this landscape on the way out of a garden centre in Glan conwy and i just loved the wide field with tall trees taking over with there shadows and i was excited to get into the studio this week to tackle this complex composition. i will update you on the progress of this piece! until next time blog happy painting! Cerys

Photograph reference

Title- Untitled and unfinished, Acrylic on board, approx.21x29.7xcm