Colour into abstraction

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

■ Work with both colour and tone

■ How to use photographs as reference material

■ First steps into abstracting your subjects

SUGGESTED STARTER PALETTE

• Titanium white

• Mars black

• Cadmium red

• Alizarin crimson permanent

• Cadmium yellow light

• Yellow ochre

• Ultramarine blue

• Phthalo blue

• Permanent green

• Burnt umber

Colour is a huge part of my life, and its emotive qualities are the main feature of my freely painted canvases. Using photographs of land, sea and cloudscapes as a starting point, I create large abstracts, using acrylic paints. Their speed of drying suits my style of painting, allowing me to layer different colours then rub back areas, allowing some original hues to show through to create depth and misty, dream-like qualities, without a lengthy wait. Using a hairdryer, however, speeds up the process if I’m feeling impatient.

Acrylics are water soluble and can be