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I recently read these questions in Nicholas Wilton's blog: 
  • What changes in your approach to art making have you noticed?


First of all, my commitment to painting a minimum of 3 hours of day, 5 to 6 days a week is making a difference in developing my skills and technique. I am more confident in my strokes, and I have noticed I observe better, as far as shape, value,  and form.

I am also clearer about what I am going to do in a given session: I have a plan that helps start, pursue or finish a painting. I am more clear-minded about the steps I need to take, which leads to better use of my time. This is allowing me to push my work some, try a different technique, slow down, observe more, because I have the time to do so. Recently I painted two different sets of flowers and I really liked the process. I particularly like the tulip as I did it after the daffodils, and I pushed myself to loosen up some. It's still a detailed piece, for it is what I like to paint, but I approached it in a more relaxed manner, and it shows.

Overall, it's very encouraging and if I don't let my progress blind me, I am still pleased with the fact that I'm doing this, for it is not always easy. But I love it, and that makes the difference!



On unity and order



As human beings, we unconsciously seek unity, order. We developed this natural instinct to look for order and relationships in nature so that we could predict the world around us for survival purposes. And it is still valid in our daily environment. Lining up at Starbucks for our turn to get our java is what we naturally do, partly because it is the way to behave in society, partly because it is order. And the two intersect, indeed. Or, to most, a bookshelf with neatly stacked up books is more appealing and easier to peruse than a confusing one where literature is haphazardly piled up. Examples are infinite.

This idea is valid as well in the artworld. A painting will be more successful and more appreciated if it presents unity to its viewer since recognizing patterns and order will give them pleasure. Thus the job of the artist is to simplify what can appear unclear, represent patterns in nature’s various displays, which can be confusing, bring harmony through repetition, create a dominant area to make a statement, and add variety using contrast. Easier said than done and I feel it is through constant observation, practice and pausing that the artist will succeed. And if you think of painters such as Jackson Pollock and feel that all it is is a bunch of paint thrown onto a canvas on the floor, keep in mind that he may have started that way but knew what he was doing and towards what he was heading (once again, read order). 

I can see that I naturally seek balance as, lately, I often like to split my paintings in 2 equal halves. It is partly graphic design’s influence, since I was a designer for many years, and partly my way of finding order, with the two intersecting here too. I am not necessarily a fan of symmetry, but there is something visually soothing about an area equally divided. Yet, if those halves are equal, they are never similar: I bring interest to both, using the principles I mentioned above, repetition, contrast, harmony, and variety. The painting above is an example of that: I made a point of keeping an assessing and editing eye on all areas (which is I do with all paintings). I feel that the result works and provides both a peaceful feeling with the vast field stretching ahead, and some tension with the ominous storm in the distance. Let me know your thoughts if you wish. 

Very best,

Aude

New direction: oils and cold wax medium

cold wax medium and oils on work in progress

It's been a long winter, yet its beauty never ceases to inspire and touch me, and trying to capture it seems like an impossible quest. However, I have recently been working with oils, and discovered the use of cold wax medium with them. I now have more ways to express myself than ever, and cold wax medium has been very rewarding in my "winter beauty" experiments.

Looking at what I was painting two years ago, my style has drastically changed. I think I was in a playful mode back then, perhaps influenced by a workshop towards a direction that wasn't mine. Thus, my work, over these past two years, has slowly matured to the clear desire to work in a representational way -loving the local landscapes and views- and in a more abstract manner, but "épurée", meaning, in French, void of unnecessary elements. I often split my paintings in two halves horizontally as I am fascinated by the yin and yang of life, nature, and things, and both consciously and unconsciously wanting to explore the concept in most of my work.

Oils, and their creaminess, lusciousness, seduced me, even though they have also been challenging with a definite learning curve. However, I now prefer them over acrylics. I still use the latter as I can achieve certain effects, and it makes me work in a more decisive manner since they dry fast. And then there is cold wax medium. I fell in love with it. I use it in various ways and seem to naturally be able to find my way with them. They lend a unique soft quality to painting and I absolutely love the type of effects and texture I can get with them.

I now feel clear about the path I am to pursue, and if painting is a never ending experiment and search, my focus is now on developing consistency in my work, with many paintings to be made, and the hope of a lovely body of work to offer you all.