The Power of Marks...Reworking an Older Painting

'Wanderings'            9x12         pastel        ©Karen Margulis
available for purchase $155

I am making a huge mess. But I am having fun doing it.  I have the whole month of December with no trips or classes. My time is my own and I intend to make the most of it. It begins with a major studio clean-up. It is amazing how stuff piles up in nooks and crannies when you are always on the go!  But I am at the tipping point. I have to reorganize so I can paint with more freedom and efficiency.

It is going to be a process and I will share it with you of course! I began the process by having an art sale. I am uncovering studies and demos that need homes. I would rather them be enjoyed rather than sit in a dusty pile. (the 50% off sale ends Monday at midnight. Read about it HERE)

Even though I am trying to clean up I still can't stay away from the pastels! As I uncover older paintings, I see them with a fresh eye and I can't help but want to make some adjustments! Today's painting redo with my comments:

Before the reworking...soft and fuzzy

 This is a  9 x 12 painting on Wallis Belgian Mist paper. It was originally a demo so it was never really finished. On first glance it seemed OK. Not a terrible effort. But it lacked something. It was just a nice scene but it all seemed to soft and mushy.

The painting suffered from its softness. It needed some decisive, confident marks.

For the redo I addressed the following:

• I refreshed the sky. Using the same colors I made some stronger marks on top of the soft sky already in place. I added wispy cloud marks which gave more air and depth to the sky.

• I changed the colors and shapes of the trees. I paid closer attention to the negative spaces in the trees and added trunks and sky holes. With just a few marks I was able to create more depth. The trees were no longer big blobs.

• I like the colors in the field. I added some violet for interest and simply used a heavier touch with the distant peach marks so they would pull they eye back into the distance.

• The foreground flowers needed a more decisive touch. I decided exactly where I wanted to place the flowers and made a heavier more confident mark. I added a few violet flowers in the shadows. I also used some workable fixative to slightly darken the foreground grasses.

close up detail

What have I learned from this redo?  I like the contrast between the softness and the bolder marks. I like the idea of taking a softer out of focus painting and giving areas more clarity. I know that well placed marks, made with a bolder hand will do the trick. If you are tentative with your marks, it will show. I was too tentative. I have learned that I don't need to fear I will mess up....it is only paper!