I determined that nothing would stand in the way of my making progress with painting today, so I actually pulled out of an event in which I had planned to take part. Looking back over the day, I probably spent six hours in front of the easel. (It certainly feels like it!) The result, however, has been encouraging. I have managed to get onto the canvas the basic structure of each of the three elements of this three-part piece. (I was going to call it a “triptych”, but I think the elements of those are normally arranged horizontally. I intend these to stand one above the other. Is there a word for that?)
The palette I chose was deliberately very limited: in addition to white and black I am using raw umber, yellow ochre, ultramarine and hooker’s green. The result so far is that the colours are rather stronger than I wanted, and in my mind’s eye they will be more muted. Achieving that will be stage two, however, and I am pleased that I have a sound structure on which to work.
Incidentally, I have worked over some areas of the canvases with two kinds of structure gel, creating textured surfaces in places. It’s great not to feel stalled. I’ll see if I can get some pics together for my next post.
Oh yes! The subject! I have three images of Italian infantry men from the First World War (Bersagliere, if you want to be technical). All are lying in similar positions. The first is asleep in his dug-out, with his head resting on his folded great-coat. In the second the soldier is dead, and the figure rather mangled. Finally, there have been a succession of reports of the discovery of the bodies of soldiers as the glaciers retreat in the Alps. The object in view is barely recogisable as a human being, as it emerges from the debris of an avalanche.