I read about Smoke Painting less than a month ago. I found it an intriguing way to produce art. Simply put, one holds a candle (lighter, match, what have you) under a sheet of paper and moves it around and up and down creating smoke on the paper. A large amount of smoke color can be created and then etching done on the carbon left behind, the smoke can be left as is - art in and of itself, or the image can be filled in with paint. I chose the later of these three options
Somewhere in the process the painting revealed itself to me and became obvious what it was becoming. I love when that happens. John Marin, the famous abstract painter came to mind. I have a quote of his and a copy of one of his earliest works framed and close to my work area at all times. "Don't think too much. Let what comes up come up . . . Art is a lusty thing that splashes about . . . Where there's no wind, there's no life." John Marin.
I finished it with pale shades of pink mixed from red and white acrylics directly on the paper. Green and white straight from the tube formed the stems. The smoke softened everything and gave the illusion of edges to the colors. I like this one. Especially for a first attempt. I am excited to work with this method again.
This morning I've already finished a realistic seascape which I started about a month ago and I reassigned an abstract oil on canvas board to an entirely new destiny. I'll post about those another day.
Feeling exceptionally artistic today. Must be the sunshine. More later.