FRI 3 APRIL
Tuning up the colours and strengthening the drawing this morning- love the strength and sharpness of the central black curve. A new yellow on the left, a flash of yellow on the shoulder and blue replaces black on the top of the head. A scruffy black mark on the left becomes a circle; a purer teal curve and weightier greens at the top, with a cut curve across. A new pink on pink. We're done.
This figure is an important motif to me: it's the figure from behind that has been repeatedly in my work since my first year at art college. Losing the figure was always an option in this painting and yet it wasn't: the figure had to appear in the 'Porthleven' series at some point, but with the harbour as an equal, remeniscent of the relationship between the harbour and clocktower in 'Porthleven 17' below.
'Porthleven 17' 25x30cms'
THURS 2 APRIL
The painting is not about the figure, it's about the relationship between the figure and the landscape, which I am trying to capture by finding a common, shaped edge, between figure profile and harbour, where each draws the other. I think we are getting closer to that vision today. The jolt of yellow (8) was transformative, electric, eye-catching against the surrounding cool palette. This led to a procession of smaller blocks of colour across the painting, across the figure: red to purple to emerald...
A lightning-jolt of Indian Yellow...
The trailing leg finally became an exciting piece of painting, an action, a mark of force: it is colour, it is dynamic and directional, leading the eye to the geometric purples in the top right corner. The blacks and whites were strengthened, the fat black mark in the bottom-right muti-faceted: outline, shadow, harbour edge. The large teal foreground shape with its beautiful curve describes and holds the now fragmented figure, which on occasion, does disappear, diminished by colour.
(7) (8)
WED 1 APRIL 5 p.m.
A destructive session, pushing paint through paint, taking away paint (7). The figure is more elusive and the harbour, with its flatter shapes starts to compete. I'm really enjoying that central group of green and pale pink rectangles and colour is starting to happen, helped with a new cleaner white in the top-left. I think we are getting closer.
(5) (6)
WED 1 APRIL
An early start today. the harbour redrawn with pale pink in the harbour and a large pink mark from ankle to shoulder (5) - that trailing leg is forceful now. Tried a heavier dark outline, repeated with pink but not convinced with the drawing. (6)
(3) (4)
TUES 31 MARCH
I thought the painting yesterday was too sketchy (3) but went backwards today with my changes (4). The figure is too dominant and all movement is lost, a standing figure replaces a moving figure. An idea is to extend the pink to the top and bottom of the canvas to push the figure behind. This could still be a black and white painting.
MON 30 MARCH
I had three ideas to work with for 'Porthleven 95':
Islands - where the pier in front of the Ship Inn becomes disconnected during bad weather and high tide
Black Ship - I like the name! A reversal of colours of the Ship Inn, in a mainly black and white painting
Figure - Bringing in a figure seems inevitable. I had everyone putting figures in their paintings on last years Porthleven courses! Two vertical elements, the left-hand outline of the figure describes the shape of the harbour. The 'Porthleven' and 'City of Glass' series come closer together!
(1) (2)
Beginnings. Some new colours, pastel shades, all very tentative and difficult to get excited about. The lyrics from Pink Floyd's 'Wish You Were Here' sprang to mind: 'Running over the same old ground. What have we found? The same old fears...'