Open Secret

As I promised from yesterday's lesson on a focal point as we looked at a hummingbird engulfed in creation, today I am going to show you how to paint a similar painting painted with the same particular technique.This is a mixed media.

In painting abstract or impressionistic paintings, you need movement and mystery, I believe this painting has both. There are hidden images and I wanted to show movement. 

Petal Tips! A Mixed media could mean anything with more than one kind of paint.  On this one I used four or five. I started with an under painting of acrylic.  Basically, I use acrylic just to get away from a white canvas. I start adding colors. Nothing in particular, just covered the white.

I then switched to oil paints. I took an old doily, layed it down on the canvas and used gold metallic paint. I sprayed it in places. Then I used other colors to do the same thing, all from a spray can. You can see at the bottom left, the polka dot texture. Then I decided where I should draw in the hummingbird. I wanted the gold to reflect on the wings and I wanted that texture on the wings.

I painted in the bird and accented the black head. I used light bluish white behind the head to bring it out. I wanted the head to be the focal point. I added red, the flower is insignificant, it is the red I wanted to show. I added red towards the bottom to give the painting balance. 

I used a permanent black marker to outline the bird. 

There is a partial butterfly wing and other things for mystery.

Meanderings~~~~ I love the freedom from this technique. I just enjoyed using several kinds of paint to get the effect. This is a painting that I let it speak to me. I was doing a series of hummingbirds, so I knew I was going to incorporate one in one way or another. I let the background just happen and then I used very little detail to pull the painting together. I made sure that I used the effects of the background to compliment the hummingbird. More detail, less freedom. I really watch when to stop on detail. I have choked the life out of  many paintings by taking them too far with tight detail. 

Isn't that the way life is at times, when we stop sweating the little things, (all the little details) we seem to have the freedom for life to take shape the way it is going to anyway, and we paint ourselves into the picture where we need to be. It's not a lack of concern or care, but it is the beginning of freedom. I pray your hands will be full of grace and your heart full of beauty, then you will be a wonderful artist.