Sometimes I find myself reminded of a painting technique I know is useful but neglect to use often enough. This week it was painting the negative space (the shapes around an object or subject) using an opaque colour. I was doing it with someone who’s relatively new to painting, and in the process found myself wondering why I don’t use it more often. In this instance I used titanium white to block off the negative space around the “flowers in vase”. Doing so also reminded me of oxide red, an intensely opaque colour I encountered in a figure-painting workshop I did with Alan McGowan and is on my “try again” list of colours. Now I just need to find out where the tube of it I know I have is.
I love this painting
Great reminder to myself as well to play with this technique. This is a favorite one of Bob Burridge whose hillarious “Bob Blast” art tips I regularly receive. And yes, I love Red Oxide. The acrylic Transparent Red Oxide is delicious! Love the way it transforms so many other colors.
I love Bob’s blasts — and it was a video of him demonstrating it that got us doing this technique, prompted by the question “really, it works like that?”