I decided I’d like to explore markmaking to music. I have explored this before but not for some time, and never in such a concentrated way. I always listen to something while I’m painting but thought direct responses would be interesting to look at
I covered my desk in paper and let loose!
I chose a gentle classical piece to loosen up but it was a bit timid…
I have a playlist on my phone called ‘layers’. I love music with lots of build up, how musicians choose which moments they’d like you to focus on with the use of dynamics and structure, different instruments for different moods.
There are lots of parallels with painting. The initial layers go down, the backbone of the story, setting a scene, building depth and interest- the quiet areas as important as the fuller ones.
I played it loud and lost myself in it
I used a monochrome palette, ish. I wanted to make this mostly about the marks.
At times I was dancing… maybe I need curtains for my studio!
I made big sweeping movements, for swelling crescendo, small staccato marks of a snare, long soft lines of a held note and big watercolour sweeps.
At first I was almost painting along the page, consciously choosing a composition like a score is written, then I decided to overlay some of the marks from the beginning of the piece.
This exercise has given me a new language of different marks and gestures and repeated marks to form textures.
They’ve allowed me to loosen up, with no ‘finished piece’ pressure and have really informed subsequent paintings.