The Glowing Bog II, ©John O’Grady 2014
Oil on deep edged panel 15 cm x 15 cm x 3.2 cm deep
(approx 6″x 6″ x 1.1/4″, no need to frame and ready to hang)
Some paintings flow smoothly from start to finish.
This painting had quite a journey to get to a completed stage.
On reflection, at each stage I was looking for a way into the painting, an emotional connection that would allow me to charge the painting with a part of me.
After laying down an initial wash, I started documenting the stages. This proved to be an interesting exercise as when I work on a piece it is normally not so full of twists and turns.
You can discover them below from the beginning to the end.
Painting Journey 1
First off, I applied a wash of colour and picked out some clouds with a sponge against a dark tree line.
Painting Journey 2
I thought there was too much blue in the foreground of the first painting so I added in a complementary colour and a road emerged to lead the eye through the piece.
Painting Journey 3
In this second painting, I liked the sky and trees but the road wasn’t a flyer.
I upped the colour in the foreground and felt the tree line needed more work.
Painting Journey 4
Big change in No. 4.
I have emerged from the lowlands and am high up in the mountains with lots of wind and clouds rushing by.
Painting Journey 5
A refinement from No. 4. I picked out grasses and gave them a right to left direction and added a richer colour in the distant hills.
Often when working this way, I rely on what feels right on an intuitive level even though this feeling is an amalgam of memories of landscapes and atmospheres and how colours respond to each other.
I then took a photo thinking the painting might be finished but it was back to the drawing board.
Painting Journey 6 – a side view
At stage 6, you might think that things are resolved and just need adjusting here and there but no!
There is a big change in mood and atmosphere.
The idea of keeping things open till the very end is essential.
I mentioned before that I don’t want to be precious while painting and this way of working can lead to failure or a result I’m happy with.
Let me know what you think.
Always love learning about your process–a bent twig path which I much appreciate, John, and this is a beauty of a painting. Thank you for sharing.
Hello Rachel,
That’s great that you found it of interest, the bent twig path helps to deepen our experiences, don’t you think, although it may not feel like it at the time. This particular twig was very bent! Thank you for your comment on the painting Rachel, the pleasure is all mine.
Wow John I’m gob smacked 🙂 how it ended up !
Hello Elles it went through a lot of changes much more than I usually would, glad I perservered.
I think the end result is lovely. Often these things can be a labour of love, and sometimes the journey is as important as the final destination. It is important to reflect on one’s work, and this shows in the finished piece. My father would love this painting.
Hello Noreen,
Thank you for your insightful comment, I absolutely agree. it is the only way to develop, to experience the making in all its peaks and troughs and then to reflect. no short cuts on this path.
I am glad that you enjoyed the painting and that your father would too.
My favourite artist is JMW Turner, and your paintings remind me so much of his later style, particularly a painting titled ‘Light on Water’. Also, the way you paint clouds reminds me of Constable and his studies of clouds, he seemed to try to capture their ephemeral qualities. I discovered your paintings on Pinterest. I’m so glad that Pinterest suggested I follow your boards 🙂
Hello Noreen,
Thank you for mentioning me in the same breath as these two painters. We are both fans of Constable then. I have an abiding memory of an exhibition of his cloud studies, they were amazing. Like you I like the late Turners, full of explorations of colour and abstraction. A big thank you to Pinterest for bringing you my way and for your thoughtful comment
….Very interesting, I can relate …. though….
Hi John, I’m glad you stuck with it till stage 6 ! It turned out beautifully
Hello Eoin,
I’m sure you know what it’s like, sometimes you have to be like a terrier. Thanks a lot