The layered method: from transparency to density
Why does a painting begin with thin, transparent layers and end with dense paint? A short note from the studio.
I begin every painting the same way: with very thin, almost transparent layers of colour over the canvas. These layers let light in; however dense the paint that follows, a glow remains underneath.
Why start thin?
Thin layers dry quickly and give the painting depth. Much of the softness on a water surface comes from these first layers.
When does the dense paint arrive?
Once the ground has settled, I add dense paint in broad brushstrokes. The painting speeds up at this point and decisions become more intuitive.
Silence is one of the hardest-working colours in a painting.
If you look closely at a work, you can see this two-part structure.