Thursday, April 2, 2009

Untitled (oil on linen)


Been starting to experiment with (semi-)transparent oils rather than opaque, for my abstracts. I'm enjoying the effects so far. I love how this one turned out. It has a very "glow-y" look to it, especially beautiful when the sun is on it or behind it, since it's coming through the linen and (semi-)transparent colors.


More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! do I ever like this one! The light really does shine out from inside. Reading about your abstract process in the previous post was itneresting. Do the transparent oils require a different approach?

I wonder if soon you will use only your very best colors for these, since they will shine through so nicely!

Jala Pfaff said...

Thank you, Donald. I like this one very, very much too!

It's a good question about the transparent vs. opaque differences. What I've noticed so far (after two transparent ones; this one plus another one I've put one layer on) is: a) scraping and scratching techniques don't really work with these; b) they seem to look more finished, faster (i.e. with just one or two layers). This one was just two layers (not counting the imprimatura) and I liked it enough to stop. Of course, two paintings isn't a lot of evidence to go on, yet.

r garriott said...

Gorgeous colors! Love that hint of space, depth, fold, whatever we might call it. It's amazingly 3D to me.

loriann signori said...

Gorgeous use of transparents Jala...you have the glow! Soooo warm and inviting.

Janelle Goodwin said...

I'm especially drawn to this one, Jala. I bet it makes the whole room glow!

Brian McGurgan said...

I like this very much, too, Jala - wonderful warm tones with just a hint of structure and a suggestion of depth.

L.Holm said...

Wow--this one really sings, Jala! beautiful colors! It is poetic. Are you using medium as well?
Liz

Jala Pfaff said...

R - Thank you. Interesting what you say about it seeming 3-D. Wasn't my intention, but it kinda does look 3-D, now that you mention it.

Loriann - Thank you. Perhaps all your current experimentation with transparency was in my subconscious.

Janelle, thanks. Well, currently it's very wet (those transparent colors take the longest to dry, it seems) and so it's confined to the studio, on the floor against a wall. But it makes that corner glow.

Brian M - Thanks. It had more rigid structure on the first layer. I decided to soften that a little on the second, while keeping the golden mean divisions.

Liz - "Poetic," that's nice! Nope, no medium. I occasionally experiment with mediums and never like any of them, it seems. Plus I can't be around fumes. So, just straight paint for me.

Jala Pfaff said...

Hi Cathyann - Maybe it's because I learned to paint without any mediums. Technically, oil paints are made to be "perfect" right out of the tube. Though of course many people prefer to use some kind of medium with them. I use mostly W&N, and just a few Rembrandt. I find they're all OK without medium (but like I said, I never learned to use medium, so what do I know?! :D). Old Holland I think is probably impossible without medium. I must say that there's an advantage to keeping things as simple as possible (e.g., paint from the tube plus your brush, nothing else!).

Kelley Carey MacDonald said...

My socks have been knocked off. Yellow! And if you asked asked me I would have said "A yellow painting? No thanks!" But I really, really like this - you can 'go places' in it.

Laurel Daniel said...

This is glowy, and the more you look at it the more the values shift... become more intense. So cool.