Here is an image of The Fire Place as I progress further with the painting. My next challenges are to work with thickly applied paint in order to convey a sense of the plaster moulding designs in the left hand side of the fire place. I also have white embossed wallpaper to render on the opposite side of the work. Again I think the approach to take will be heavily textured thick white paint with perhaps some grey shading to denote the slight sheen effect inherent in this type of wall covering.
Initial sketches are being made for the next work in my Dwelling Fusion project which I will introduce over my next proceeding blogs. The title for which I am planning is to be The Hob.
Continuing on my current theme (Dwelling Fusion) of reflecting on the day-to-day reality of living in two places, almost at opposite ends of the country, I have spent some time identifying and documenting areas of commonality. This work comprises different forms such as sketches, photographs and paintings.
My previous piece focused on The Kettle, a simple yet powerful feature in almost every kitchen. Although it may have changed somewhat in appearance and mode of operation (over an open fire, gas hob, electric hob, electric plug-in) over the years its basic function has remain constant.
The next part of my Dwelling Fusion project looks at The Fire Place. I think the fire place connects well with my last subject the kettle, as they are both at the centre of the image of the heart of the home which represents a comforting constant in an ever changing world with a wide appeal to many people. This represents another point of commonality for me as a person living between two houses. It harks back to man’s primordial need for shelter and a heat source for survival and a need for familiarity.
Although the two fire places I have fused for my painting are slightly different in scale I have adapted them for the purpose of unity on canvas.
I chose the fire place as it represents a welcoming focal point to the home. In this instance one side of the painting depicts an open fire place and the other is a gas powered fire. For the open fire I have used very thick layered flame coloured oranges, yellows and whites to bring depth and life to the furnace-like centre piece. Conversely, the gas fire is dead in comparison. The liveliest part of this side of the image comes from the iridescence of the colours reflected from the brass fire surround. For this part of the painting I also used thick layered paint in rainbow hues, almost like oil on water. This by way of balancing the two opposite sides of the painting, at the same time emphasising their totally opposite states.
The next part of my series Dwelling Fusion features the household article at the centre of every kitchen – the kettle, As with the first subject in the series I have taken my two kettles and fused half their individual images together to create a hybrid kettle fused centrally. This represents a continuation of the experimental technique I am employing to depict scenes from home.
I have tried using a cut-out technique for this image using a plug template, an idea I may use further in the future using various styles.
I chose the kettle on this occasion as it conjures comforting scenes of hot drinks breaks with family and friends – bringing to mind the familiar cliché tea and sympathy.
