Luna Viola

Luna Viola

Expressionist Egon Shiele inspired this reimagined work. How was he able to see the world in its simplest form, reducing its complexity without losing meaning and emotion? Sinuous lines arc provocatively yet preserve individual symmetry as they touch and interact to form a greater harmony. The observer builds upon the harmony as it enters into consciousness with a meaning that is as individual as it is a part of the whole.

The process

The smoothest possible surface was desired to support the thin painted outlines. Two coats of titanium white paint applied in cross sections formed the foundation on a 14 x 17 inch Gessobord. Lightly sanding with 400 and 1000 grit sandpaper further smoothed the surface. A cut out copy of the drawing outline was traced with pencil. This provided the bounding dimension making it easier to draw detail to proportion.

Flat black Matte acrylic paint was applied using a #0 Mightlon round brush. Initially the tracing of the pencil lines proved to be very problematic. After some practice I learned to keep the brush quite vertical but at enough angle so I could gauge the distance from brush tip to board. Next was understanding the dynamics of brush paint loading in relation to speed of application. From time to time the brush needed to be wetted and dipped more frequently in matte medium as the paint began to dry. As in drawing, erasing is essential. White paint acted as the eraser cleaning up the numerous blotches and misguided lines.

Having completed the most difficult part, it was liberating to freely paint between the lines and not care about consistency or even whether the paint meets the line!

Initial Drawing from Shiele’s painting