I would like to show you how a painting can evolve during the creative process. Let's analyze this particular piece: New Dawn, a 30x40cm oil on canvas.
This is the final piece created for a show curated by my talented colleague, Anna Wypych, at Principle Gallery: Catharsis: Wild Heart.
After finding a pose that inspired me, I sought to adapt the concept of the connection between the spiritual and physical aspects of existence. As usual, I started with a drawing on the canvas (a Belgian linen that I primed myself with rabbit skin glue, blanc de Meudon, boiled linseed oil, and some pigments) without adding any specific details.
I had a particular background in mind, but it changed almost immediately. Here you can see the initial concept, where I was thinking about surrounding the main figure with black patterns and dancing spirits.
The underpainting was done using a greenish raw umber and titanium white. It was a quick process, just to establish the values and composition. Since I usually don’t plan my paintings in every detail beforehand, I like to experiment during this phase, allowing the artwork to reveal what it wants to become... sometimes, I have very little control over it!
At this stage, it's quite ugly, but it works for me. Once dry (usually the next day, since raw umber dries fast, and if I want to use impasto white, I add a bit of cobalt drier), I start applying the colors.
After finishing the first color layer, I realized two things: I didn’t like the background, and the face wasn’t conveying the sense of subconscious self-reflection (if that even makes sense) that I wanted her to express. It needed to feel more dreamlike and less lifelike.
The same goes for the background—ethereal was what I was aiming for. I drew inspiration from several paintings by Agostino Arrivabene.
The final result was very satisfying and gained even more meaning for me. I can see and feel the duality between spirit and matter, between elevated aspirations and the connection to earthly reality. Catharsis, the central theme of the show this painting was created for, often results in a sense of rebirth or renewal. The painting evokes this concept through disintegration and reformation, suggesting that the figure is not merely dissolving, but being reborn in a new form—purified and more connected to the universe.
I am planning to use this blog to write about ideas, painting processes, techniques, and oil painting in general. I hope to be able to inspire someone to pursue this beautiful journey that is art.
See you next Thursday!
Ania
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