Oil man

Whilst distressed and angry about current events I decided to work more on an idea I had a couple of years ago. I did a small digital sketch with a view to working it into a painting later, then covid happened and threw a spanner into my creativity. Now with this charcoal rough sketch I have made a start towards turning it into a large painting. It’s called ‘Oil man’ though I may find a better title later, the main thing is that I’m making a start so watch this space for progress.

Ghost forest,

I was so distressed at the sight of the burning Amazon forest and all that means for the animals trees and humanity that I got a large, 100×120 canvas on my easel to express what I feel. In the end I settled for covering the canvas with red, orange and yellow alkyd oil paint diluted with thinners. I allowed the paint to drop from the top edge rather like tears then took a cloth to wipe out the shapes of trees using photos of the forests as shape guides to make them appears negative images, like ghosts. Alkyd oils are quick drying and can reworked again after six hours especially when thin. The next step was to turn the painting upside-down and dribble black paint down the canvas wiping the trees clean again after. I’ve added some grey and one or two white bits. This makes no difference to the forest but helped me with the grief I feel.