I’m still working on the working drawings/paintings for the biggest of the two murals I am doing for Eureka. Its important that I do all this planning now, as its this process that will be the thinking behind the paintings themselves. If the images work on the small working paintings, they will work for the murals themselves. I have to consider the images and whats important in them, and what is of lesser importance. Doing the working paintings has underlined all of that for me, for instance I realised that something on the right hand side (which is of little importance) was taking the eye of the viewer straight to it because it was the strongest contrast of black and white together, the minute I muted the white aspect it lost that importance and the focal point was back in the middle of the painting where it needed to be. I also wanted the eye to wander around the painting, and did some small marks in various places to make sure that worked in the painting. They’re only small but of massive importance. There are quite a few things of importance in the painting, and that has to be viewed and painted so that those aspects are in the focal points, the eye should travel to them.
I also have to consider that the images will be viewed in different lighting, at different times of the year, in natural light and artificial lighting. The images have to be obvious in all of that type of lighting. I tend with my working paintings to stand them up so that when I walk into the room I’m working on them in (either my studio, or study) that they look right whether its daylight, or full artificial light, or even when its night time and the only lighting is from the room behind, in secondary light. If it works in all those settings its telling the story properly. I have to consider all of that. Its not just painted, its thought about, a lot!