UPDH, Just Won't Go Away

Jane Davies:

Yeah, I paint over a lot of stuff. 

I get attached to the parts 
I really spent a lot of time on— 
[the parts I] worked and worked and worked—
but,
OK, I'm attached, 
and I paint over it. 

Now we've got a new beginning.

—


Here's where I left off last time with UPDH, with about 16 layers under the surface:



Now we've got a new beginning. I start with oil and wax pastels:



I add glazing medium:



I paint lightly over some sections with titanium white:



This next part is cool. First, I draw an ink line from one side of the page to the other. After that I create a bit more opacity in various places, using white. Then, I introduce an olive-green-and-cad-yellow mix. The cool part comes next. I want to see what a white charcoal pencil will do. What it does is surprise me. It doesn't create white lines in this case—it can't write over the pastels; but it scratches through my layers and brings the original dark purple line back up to the surface.

Remember using crayons to color a sheet of paper in kindergarten, painting over it all with black poster paint, and scratching through the dried paint to draw a picture? This is kinda like that!



I go back in with acrylics and black charcoal pencil. Then I sit for awhile.

Eventually, oil pastels:



More paint:



Then, after turning my paper in every direction, after studying it up close and from a distance, and after walking away for a few hours, I sense that this painting comprises several smaller paintings asking for a little space to breathe.

 
 

When inspiration first came knocking days and days ago, I thought it had asked me to collaborate on creating hydrangeas. But I think I misunderstood. I think we're painting lilacs!

And it looks as though I'm back to working on another series!