I couldn’t decide – share my newest piece with you (painted for Gallery 8’s Symbolically 8 show) OR share some paintings related to Springtime.
I’m so excited about my new piece, I decided Spring can wait until next time! (And in the meantime, if you have any ideas for paintings to do with Springtime, I’ll certainly mention them in my next blog. So send them to me!)
The Sneak Peek!
The Symbolically 8 show is always the exhibition that opens the season for Gallery 8 on Salt Spring Island. All paintings are in some way related to the number eight, either directly, subtly or obscurely but in some way linked to the idea of ‘8’.
I was wondering what to do and for some reason the nursery rhyme about Ten Green Bottles Standing on the Wall popped into my my mind. I’ll do that I thought, eight bottles on a wall. So I started sketching ideas. And in my thumbnails, the bottles began to look like people and I thought, That’s it!
Here are my sketches:
1. Sketches of ideas for my painting for the Symbolically 8 show
For some reason, I decided to do the work on wood panel rather than canvas. Don’t ask my why, I just had the feeling to do it. Because the idea came from a musical piece, I felt the need to add pieces of music sheets to the work.
2. Pieces of music sheets collaged onto the wooden panel and then fluid acrylic applied to the whole thing.
3. Now we see the design. More acrylic is applied and then figures are drawn on with charcoal.
4. The figures needed to be more solid so I painted them in acrylic. I also added soft gel over the box base, scraping with the end of my brush and other implements to give it some random texture. Then I added more paint.
5. William Faulkner coined the phrase, “In writing, you must kill your darlings” and Stephen King emphasizes it in his book, On Writing. It means that sometimes you need to get rid of parts you have become attached to in order for the whole to be better off. The same thing applies to art and it can be soooooo hard to do. But do it you must. So in this piece, ‘my darlings’ was that glow-y background behind the figures. I found my eye was always drawn to that yellow glow on the left (see the image above this one), and not wanting to move around the painting as it should. So I had to “kill my darlings.” Because I had been using gouache in another painting, I decided to apply that over the whole background (rather than use acrylic).
6. Then the base began to feel too dead so I added the same gouache colours there. This brought a whole new life to the base – it almost looks like an apartment block with various windows lit up.
7. After letting the piece sit for a few days, I now needed to seal, with medium, the entire surface as the gouache was not permanent. I knew it might lift when applying the medium but I was not particularly careful. What happened next was one of those ‘happy accidents.’ The gouache smeared a wee bit as I ran the brush filled with medium over it. This meant it went over the figures. I gasped, was about to correct, and then decided I liked the incorporation of the figures with the background. Now they looked less cut-out. After sealing, I left the piece for a few days and decided all that was left to do was glaze the lower part of the base and sign it. Yay. My piece for the Symbolically 8 show was complete. Gail Sibley, “If By Chance…,” mixed media on wood panel, 16 x 16 in
8. Gail Sibley, “If By Chance…,” mixed media on wood panel, 16 x 16 in – a close-up showing what’s left of the music sheets!
I must add that there was a LOT of pondering between each addition. It’s easy to look back now and say step 1, step 2, step 3 etc but when you are in the process, going forward into the unknown, well, it’s challenging stuff! And these 1, 2, 3, images just don’t show that struggle. Do you know what I mean?
The Symbolically 8 show opens Friday 11th April from 5pm to 8pm at Gallery 8. If you’re Salt Spring, I hope to see you there!!
Remember, if the whole commenting on the blog thing is a pain, send a reply and I’ll post it on the blog for you. Okay? 🙂
Thanks for being here with me!
~ Gail
PS. It appears that I have gotten the lyrics to the Ten Green Bottles song completely wrong! First off they are ‘hanging’ on the wall (not standing) which you must admit is rather strange. AND, the rest of the lyrics go…”and if one green bottle should accidentally fall…” whereas I had it as “and if by chance, one of them should fall…” Don’t ask me where I got that version. My childhood perhaps? Anyway, take a listen to this sweet version.
2 thoughts on “A Sneak Peek at my Painting for the Symbolically 8 show!”
Kathie Smithson
Hi Gail,
I just love your piece for “Symbolically 8” I love reading about your process. You have such a talent & you are an inspiration. Thank you!
P.S. I have to ask….. any plans for a workshop on SSI in the future?
Thank you so much Kathie! And yes, I am planning on doing a workshop on Salt Spring. Just waiting to hear if I can hold it at ArtSpring. Thanks for asking (and pushing :-))
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2 thoughts on “A Sneak Peek at my Painting for the Symbolically 8 show!”
Hi Gail,
I just love your piece for “Symbolically 8” I love reading about your process. You have such a talent & you are an inspiration. Thank you!
P.S. I have to ask….. any plans for a workshop on SSI in the future?
Take care,
Kathie
Thank you so much Kathie! And yes, I am planning on doing a workshop on Salt Spring. Just waiting to hear if I can hold it at ArtSpring. Thanks for asking (and pushing :-))