For me it was an epiphany - a sudden and surprising moment of understanding or realization - when I discovered “Paint it Big” a two week online course by Lewis Noble.
written by Katrina Rose
True to its title, the course’s objectives were to create bigger images. For me that meant increasing the surface size from a table mat to a tabletop and not necessarily keeping it the same way up. The process was simple but challenging, painting and layering in short bursts and having a minimum of two paintings on the go. Most importantly it was about having fun.
With a previous sketch as a guide, we began to make marks with acrylic paint in a dark tone, using large brushes and various other tools. We then painted the rest of the canvas white, adding more layers in the same colour but with a mixture of paint, pencil, oil pastels, or anything else that came to hand. Then we added colour, again with a mixture of materials, and a layer of collage.
On each layer we were encouraged to make big random marks and decide what we wished to retain or not, knowing we could always repeat what was underneath. By turning the work sideways, or upside-down, we saw a different image. We explored previous layers and adding more and more. Then we moved the whole thing from the wall to a flat surface – particularly sensible when applying the layer of adhesive.
In the second week we took a step back and applied the same processes to a much smaller canvas, which felt very restrictive after the big mark-making. Then it was back to the large paintings to consider the quiet spaces, balance and composition and adding even more layers.
The last layer before the varnish was adding oil paint to unify the whole picture, enhance the colours and add a few sprinkles and splashes.
For me it was a completely liberating experience, and I hope will encourage other artists to explore different ways of enlarging their artistic journeys, from table mats to tabletops to the ceiling.
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