Usually, when I start an oil painting, toning my canvas with a saturated, solid color is the first and most important step. Whichever color I choose will influence the entire palette as it peeks through the edges between brush strokes and provides a baseline against which all other colors “compete”, driving up the saturation of the painting as a whole.
When I paint on copper, the base is predetermined, but it’s also dynamic. The color peeking through the edges has a warm metallic shimmer that appears darker or lighter depending on the surrounding environment. This forces me to be very mindful of where I leave negative space, and discourages me from overworking the painting.
This is my third copper panel painting (see: Cherry Tree Autumn and Tide Pool) and my first figure painting on copper. Planning to hang it in my bedroom next to the giant self portrait above my headboard, and across from a couple of treasured Ale Casanova originals, one of my biggest inspirations in figure painting.
