I began week 18 with a clearer understanding of how I wanted to develop my project, after mind mapping and creating multiple drawings and collages in my sketchbook I knew that the next step was to experiment all I could to grasp which direction I would head in. Reading through my recently purchased ‘Gigantic Cinema’ weather poetry book, I marked the pages with the poems and extracts that visually inspired me. I firstly created this large experimental piece (70x70cm) using acrylics based on the poem ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’ by Anon. Using everything from rags to squeegees and brushes to palette knives I wanted to create that sense of turbulence and urgency that the poem made me feel. I usually spend hours on a piece so throughout this project my aim has been to create quick but thoughtful pieces taking me out of my comfort zone. Below is the final painting on thin craft paper

Using oils is something I really wanted to focus on, especially as this is the medium that Turner primarily used later in life with the landscapes I am more interested in. Something I had also never tried before was using a base colour on my canvas. Linking into my interest in eco-feminism, I am focusing on the colour red to explore how this represents multiple emotions and movements within my work. I allowed for hints of this background to poke through the oil paint which has been the main turning point so far in my project. The finished piece was based of another poem in my book called ‘The Wanderer’ by Anon, mentioning the darkness and stony slopes that are a key feature of this painting, completed on a 30x30cm canvas. I completed this piece in 30 minutes which, for me, is a huge step forward to creating more exciting and abstract work. Overall, this painting is out of my comfort zone but I absolutely love it and can’t wait to continue creating using this approach. Below I have included a photo and a time-lapse of the process for this painting:

Finally, I wanted to experiment using another colour background to see whether this would affect the overall feel of the painting. So, using the same poem as a starting point, I mixed an earth green acrylic background and contained to paint in oils a similar scene. After doing so I realised the key to my first oil painting was the red. Having that anger and power peeking through the storm clouds represented exactly the emotion I was trying to create. By using the darker green, the piece lost excitement and mood although I still enjoyed the process and adapting the colours to suit the base. I did however paint around the sides of the canvas to morph into the main painting which I feel gave it a sense of continuation rather than painting the borders a block colour as I have done previously. I have included the photo of this painting below for reference, it was completed on a 40x40cm circular canvas: