Over the last two weeks I have been to-ing and fro-ing with this painting here. I have wanted to capture some snowdrops for a while but there is such a short window between buying them and getting them painted that before you blink they’ve dried up.
I’ve also had these ‘snooty cats’ for a while now – a car boot sale find – they just appeal to me and I like their slightly haughty air.
The background was some off cuts of our bedroom wallpaper which I never tired of until this painting.
So I set this up fairly confidently that the colours and compositions were going to work and set to getting those snowdrops done quickly.
A few days solid painting and I’d finished…so I thought! I like to prop paintings up somewhere outside of the studio and live with them for a while – it gives a bit of perspective on the finished article and for good reason because as we lived with this, we could all see that those birds were really distracting. Back to the drawing board.
I carefully mopped them out and painted in using the background colours which were (luckily) still left on the palette – hurray for watercolours. Cue a bit more living with it and it still wasn’t clicking. i decided that the background paper, beautiful as it is, was just not the right pattern for this set up because it was fighting for attention.
So I took a radical step which took a few days of building up to, and masked the whole of the foreground and then washed the entire background out and began again.
Scary stuff! I can continue to recommend Peobe masking fluid is all I can say.
I should also say that the paper was stretched on a board so even though it got a good soaking, once it dried out, is was tight and flat again.
Then I painted in a plain grey background colour and masked in a simple, more regular pattern which I then painted over again for a two-tone finish. And I. was. sick. of.it!
So here is the final metamorphosis of this painting. I’m moving on 😉
8 comments
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February 10, 2014 at 10:23 pm
Abs
Wow! What a cat journey you have been on. Think the end result is fab though
February 10, 2014 at 11:07 pm
Carole C
I have a thing for blue and white …..and for cats ! This was so worth all your efforts and bravery……I just love it .
Well done Claire 🙂
February 10, 2014 at 11:13 pm
Janet Friel
Well done for persevering – it was worth the effort! I’m not sure I’d have been brave enough to put masking fluid over the paint, but it worked brilliantly! I’m about to do something drastic to a piece of unsatisfactory work tomorrow – I’ve been dithering for a couple of days but seeing this has given me the impetus to take a risk!
February 11, 2014 at 8:42 am
jenny
Is it too early to say that I really like the second one 🙂
Feels like ages since I’ve seen any of your beautiful still life pieces…I’ve missed them, so forgive me if I say I love it (and one day you will too!! ) x
February 11, 2014 at 10:06 am
Anna
Suggest buy some small square mounting board and cut and mount ten tiny pictures from little sections of the rejects. There is always a positive!… x
February 11, 2014 at 12:04 pm
Helen
I gulped my tea down when I read you had masked over the foreground – wow that was brave and I am glad it didn’t ruin all your hard work.
It’s so hard when you put so much time and energy into a painting and it doesn’t turn out as you expected. I do love the finished result and think the cats are fab.
I love seeing your work Claire and you inspire me so much to keep on following my dreams.
Helen x
February 11, 2014 at 3:28 pm
Dana Barbieri
You are so brave Claire. It turned out great! Thanks for sharing all of those steps you took to get there. I have to add that masking fluid to my ever growing supply list. xo
February 26, 2014 at 5:47 pm
decorartuk
I didn’t know it was possible to change a finished background! That’s really impressive. You are an expert on watercolour, so if you say that such magic masking fluid exists, I will have to believe you 🙂
It’s a beautiful painting that “screams” spring. When you think about it spring is the time when cats mate, so this lovely couple, sitting next to some snow drops and tulips, was a wonderful choice. K.