Anatomy of a painting - Part 2

This is the photo that ended my previous post. It could be considered complete and for awhile I thought so too. Then I began to think back to the experience of finding this wrapper behind a statue in the gardens. I think it was the only piece of trash I saw in my two week stay on the grounds of Birr Castle. I couldn't help viewing it as proud of its ability to defy the normal cycle that the natural world was engaged in. The bright colours seemed to add to this defiance. I knew I had to reconsider the scale of the wrapper.









A new photo transfer was prepared and inserted over the previous one. Then the job of integrating the image into the background began.
When an image is inserted into an almost completed work it sticks out like a sore thumb, and it takes much patience and subtle applications of paint and paper to make it look like it belongs. This usually means additions to the whole piece to draw it together.











Here's the end result. I've also readjusted the colours away from the obvious green and set it on a path of decay. My trusty Tri Art Transparent Brown always saves the day when you want to age an image.

These highly textured, dark pieces are very difficult to photograph. I build up using gloss gel because it creates a better sense of depth, but the added shine is a problem when you photograph the stages of development of a work.

As this work is part of a series, I will wait and varnish it with all the other pieces. Then the satin varnish is more receptive to my limited photography skills.