Where the Forest Meets the Meadow

I love 'firsts'. There's something fun about taking a step in a new direction. I often look back at these steps and see the incredible journey they took me on. Like when I first tried dabbling in acrylic or when I first used a large canvas. Recently I began using gouache, which I found to be delightful and fun.

This weekend I completed another first. My first commissioned canvas piece. I've done costumes, shoes and sculptures on commission many times before. I have a unique advantage in that I am not a procrastinator at all and when I'm doing something for someone, I accomplish it in a matter of weeks. Having a person in mind is a great motivator for me and I have done several paintings as gifts for those I love. This piece, however, was not about me creating something for myself to give to someone. This was about listening to what someone wanted, as I've done with the shoes and sculptures I've done, and creating a painting with that.

I'm so utterly pleased with this work, as I was with the completion of the Hierophant. Both works fill me with immense pride and satisfaction. This latest one, 'Where The Forest Meets the Meadow' was begun several months ago, when I took the description of what was desired. I had no intention of starting work on it until I arrived in London, as the person it's been painted for is here.

Most of January I was in a tizzy, working to settle in to my new space. I had the painting in mind though, and when my second order of canvases arrived I began to sketch it out. The first few attempts didn't really work and it wasn't until I was riding the train that I managed to get exactly what I was looking for. This was another first. I don't do sketches of my work prior to painting it. My concept and visuals are all written in my journal and sketched right on the canvas. Sketching into my journal and copying that out onto the canvas doesn't work for me...until now.

It was the roughness of the sketch, the jagged lines caused by a jerking train, that produced a solid idea of what I wanted to accomplish. So I set forth and in a matter of weeks I completed what is, to date, my best work. I'm utterly pleased with it and happy to report that the commissioner adores it as well. In fact, when presented with the work, she was rendered nearly speechless.

She has graciously allowed me to have the piece imaged and so, prints will be available shortly.

For now I invite you to follow the photo journal of the work from start to finish.

"Where the Forest Meets the Meadow" 36X24 ~Acrylic and gouache on canvas~

The original sketch from my journal. The dark scratchy lines inspired me to use gouache for part of this painting.

The background was a bit iffy for me until I did a green wash. then I was able to determine exactly how I wanted it to look. I settled on bushy leaves behind the stag, moss around the toadstools, and bushy grass around the hare.

To get the spots on the toadstools just right I cut circles out of masking tape. This worked incredibly well, as you will soon see.

A pink undercoat, to minimize the layers of red I would be required to apply. I still ended up doing three coats of red.

Picked the masking tape circles off and moved on to the butterfly. The butterfly is one of my favourite elements of this piece as I captured the details of the wing just as I'd hoped.

I used gouache to outline everything, creating the effect I was looking for. The matte finish of the gouache against the shiny finish of the acrylic give the painting a sense of movement. It's almost like a still shot from an animation or an illustration from a children's book.
I did the hare next. I wanted to capture the softness of their faces. My mum said this reminds her of watership down and in many ways this was my inspiration for the hare.

After how time intensive the toadstools, butterfly and background had been I seemed to be absolutely flying through painting the hare and the stag. I was enjoying myself so much at this point that I hardly took breaks when I was working.

Originally I wanted to have some flowers behind the hare but I decided it would be too busy. I added an extra bee. Although one could argue that doesn't reduce the busy-ness of it.

...and then it was done!