Let me be clear, I’m only using the terminology “Inspired by…” because it’s my version of his painting… essentially my copy of it. It’s part of my ongoing explorations of styles and techniques. Again, I used a recycled canvas (overpainted) from some long neglected project (The People of the Land) in which the painting technique is one I no longer use. For this one, I started with clumsy varnish brush to apply broad and messy colours. (Note: the varnish brush is often sold as a watercolour brush, because it soaks in tons of liquid paint… made best for watercolour viscosity, not thick acrylics.) I knew it would take longer to dry and I wanted the paints to blend organically on the already textured canvas (from the abandoned underpainting).
I then added many thin layers with a variety of big brushes, as watered-down coats and dry-brushings. Always blending the colours on my palette, with a little of the previous colour and with the same brushes. This allowed me to unify the colours more naturally. The lighter the colours got with my additions of “unbleached” & “titanium” whites, the harder it got to keep David Park’s glow, so I decided to stop, before I flattened the composition too much. I will probably try a free-hand version from my imagination, only using more paint on the brushes at the start, or painting the whole gesso field in a dark colour and boring up to light.
Dimension: 23.5” (60cm) x 12” (30cm)
Materials: Acrylic on recycled canvas
The New Renaissance Mindset 