Ellen Lindner: Art & Creativity

I recently attended a demonstration by artist Renee Decator about how she adds texture to her acrylic paintings.  She showed us several techniques, including one in which she imprinted textures into heavy body gesso.  After spreading the gesso onto her canvas she pressed things like doilies and produce bags into it.  This gave immediate interesting texture.  Renee also demonstrated how she sometimes attaches items directly onto the canvas to create texture.  Her arsenal includes string, paper, and cheesecloth.

After creating texture on several canvasses and allowing them to dry, Renee brings out her paints.  This is when things get really interesting.  Working with her preferred palette, she begins adding opaque paint completely randomly. 

What?  No planning?  This is the part that intrigues me!

Renee thoroughly works the paint into the surface she has created.  After it’s dry, she adds more paint, but this time it’s very watered down and transparent.  While it’s still quite wet she lifts some of this new paint using things like crinkled plastic bags.  Finally, she departs from pure randomness and “cleans things up” a little, turning it into what she considers a viable abstract composition.

And all of this is just to create an interesting starting point!   Because she hasn’t used a plan to this point, everything is very playful and creative.  A very fun way to make art!

Eventually, Renee studies what she has and begins to evaluate it for possible subject matter.  A yellow spot might become a lemon, or it might be completely painted over, depending on what she determines.  This way of working is fascinating to me – and very foreign!

Renee was kind enough to provide me with an in-progress image of her painting Lookout (below.)  At this point she had just completed the process I’ve described and was beginning to create a composition.

Here’s the same piece, completed:

Very interesting, don’t you think?

Although Renee’s process involves painting over things she’s previously created, it also allows for unexpected surprises, and the ability to use earlier parts as color and texture.

I’ve tried an intuitive process like this with fabric, and found that I was not well suited to it.  Maybe it would work better for me with paint?  Either way, I feel like reaching for my acrylics!

Please check out Renee Decator’s website.