It’s been some times since I intended to share some insight into how I create my studio paintings, my monotype pieces. Explanations into what is a monotype and why I spend my time on this are part of this post.
Starting with a line sketch, a vague direction and lots of painterly chaos, inside things begin to happen. First I look for some kind of clues to an a silhouette, or an abstract shape that I can build on. This stage is crucial as the over all success of any painting depends almost entirely on its drawing. Drawing is the skeleton of every painting. Later comes the fun part which is colour, pushing and pulling paint I try to create visual harmony. This stage is very primal, the choice of colours and how they relate to each other within the composition is almost entirely intuitive and depends a lot on the mood I'm in. The whole process resembles a culinary procedure, where you got your basic recipe but end up improvising every time to try to make it better and possibly discover something new.
In terms of techniques there are two main methods I use to create a monotype painting. First method is organizational; I start with a big painterly mess and work my way through it trying to make sense out of whats in front of me. Reducing the amount of material on the glass plate, pushing and moving things around until I'm content. The second approach is a lot more carful and calculative. I start with a clean surface and every mark that I make is considerate. I then add all the marks together into an image I'm happy with. Both methods however are about a balance between something effortless and something more considerate.
Then comes the most exciting stage, which is transferring the painting into the paper. I live for this part, it is the best part of the process because you never know what will turn out. The anticipation is a venerable feeling, and I believe that only out of a venerable place something truly honest and creative can come out.
When the image is imprinted no more changes can be made. The paper observes the paint permanently and hereafter it is what it is. It is either a winner or throw out. This is another reason why I love monotyping, it pushes me to be less precious about what I do and try multiple times until I like what I see and share it with you.