SO CLOSE! But still a lot of fine details to go! This was a particularly fun session to have rounded the painting off with, involving music and stuffing my face with mini eggs. Black and white shows the detail well so I will save the full colour for the finished piece. For anyone looking to paint at a large scale be prepared for a lot of clambering around. Look out for the next post which will show the final, finished piece!
Until the bespoke made canvas was left at my door almost too big for me to hold up, it had not occurred to me the scale of the project I had just undertaken. As I write this I am in the final stages of finishing this piece, but just over 5 weeks ago I couldn’t have imagined having filled a canvas measuring 80×80″ inches squared. I was commissioned to create a peacock painting for an office space. Immediately I knew I was never going to waver on if I would take this project on or not. The symbolism behind peacocks played a large part for the company and its meaning was something that resonated with myself very clearly and personally. The imagery of a peacock in my eyes is one of the most spectacular natural wonders, a peacock feather alone fascinates me. The colours have always been my favourite palette and the elegance is just very ‘me’… I have documented the progress from the first session onwards and hopefully the scale is shown with justice to …
I LOVE charcoal! It creates such a beautiful contrast between soft blending and sharp marks. I used to use charcoal in all of my mixed media pieces, which is why I decided to revisit this material. I have finished my first of a set of sketches of large scale charcoal studies. The charcoal can be so complimentative to create the tonal qualities and pick up on the minuscule detailing of the feathers. The geometric shapes just seemed to fit… I really like this idea to bring something new to the sketches and almost a bit of compositional framing and imbalance, which I love. I am excited to create the next two, I have them all set up and ready to go! I am still deciding on the subject. Koi carps are a favourite of mine at the moment and could work beautifully… Any ideas??
KATY JADE DOBSON 