Deep Swing 1 a WIP
 

I'm going to work on a series of variations on a theme - the theme of a swing under water. Not sure why, really - the idea came to me and it has a certain powerful inevitability to it.
So, the picture in my head of a young person playing on a swing as fish swim about overhead will be end up on various sizes of canvas. I got some canvases, bought brushes and acrylics, got some painting knives and texture medium and such. It was a thrill to also get a real inspiration! A relief, too - whether or not the execution will be up to snuff is one thing - having an idea or concept that seems worth putting on the canvas is another thing altogether.
Besides, I need to start doing painting. There is a local art tour coming up (Bayview Art Tour here in Toronto, weekend of November 29/30) I was invited to join and I think I need more than my drawings up on my walls. Also, I keep getting turned down by various organizations (Toronto Outdoor Exhibit, The Artist Project Toronto) and I think some painting may help my case for the juries in future.
Anyway - painting innocence powering it's way through a sustained moment of suspension, with the elements topsy-turvy and Tree Dancers and Mermaids and Fish at play will be a challenge.
This first piece will be 24" x 36" portrait (61 cm x 91 cm), acrylics. The sketch is 6" x 9".

I like the general idea, but I have one thing that I would change that would make a difference to the dynamic of the composition. I sense you want to give the composition a feeling of depth, of breadth, of spaciousness. Well the fact that the fish, and the underside of the water )is that what it is meant to be?) are so close to the figure in the middle, and to the woman at the side, make it feel cramped. I would move it up quite a length away to stop that from happening. Then, so that the painting is not too stretched out, I would widen the horizontal elements a touch too. Other than that, for so much detail, to stop the scene from becoming too intricate, and too much like a "decorative" work, I'd paint it in a large enough format that would allow the details to not seem to fiddly.

Your drawings have a lightness to them, that I feel you should be cautious about when you move on to paint. Don't load the work too heavily with dark and colour, otherwise it will look like a painted drawing and not a painting in its own right.

Hope it goes well, would love to see the finished product! I wish you success with the work.

Thanks for taking the time to look and comment, LT :)
Yes, that top element will be water. I won't make it as much a pattern as you see - the curves are to help me place light and dark while (hopefully) suggesting a bit of a Celtic weave pattern. Same goes for parts of the lower foreground, and maybe when I am into it some hair and such as well.
It is a good point however, to not get too caught up in the details. As I plan to explore swing a bit, details may become more of an element as more pieces are made. But, I often am a detail kind of guy, so if they happen they happen. Same with composition - I am playing a bit with elements as I draw it onto the canvas, so we will see how it turns out in the end.
Again, thanks for the look and the comments.

Here is the canvas with the main elements roughed in. You may notice there are differences from the sketch. I'm willing to bet there will be more differences before Deep Swing 1 is finished.
One thing I am thinking of doing is putting another fish in the lower left foreground. We shall see. The paint will be lightened up, some things softened - it is a work in progress.

Why on earth would anyone turn down such original work?????

I look forward to seeing the evolution of this.

kramus, I like the way it has developed. It has become much more open, I see you widened the composition a little. Also, I'm not sure if it's the colours, but it has become far more enveloping, and there is a mood to it that comes out that doesn't exist in the drawing. Well done! It's looking very interesting.

Thanks for looking, ng and little tippler :)
Here is the painting with a bit more work done on it. I am really feeling my way, not having touched acrylics for probably close to 25 years now. As long as folks are willing to enjoy the visual without worrying too much about my technique :o

This is closer to the final look. Clumsy, yes - but I have had some fun working on it :thumbsup:

adding the final version - colour consistency between shots just isn't happening . . .