I am often asked about the process of my artwork. The answer is a complex one. Initially, I'll either have an inspiration from nature or a reference photo. There is also a fair amount of research and planning that takes place before beginning a project. There are paint, as well as fabric colours to consider as I pull the piece together. During the planning stage, I create a sketch that I can refer to as I work.
As a base, I use stretched as well as unstretched canvas, wood panel, and furniture. For the background, I start with Inktense Pencils activated with water, and high flow acrylics. Following this, I outline the shapes for the painting with black acrylic paint to make the bright colours stand out. The shapes are either filled in with paint or batik fabric. Adding fabric is painstaking work, measuring and cutting the various pieces to fit the shapes on my canvas. When I work on wood panel, I also incorporate woodburning, which takes the place of the black paint. The final step is to give the whole piece a coat of varnish or protective medium. This step not only protects the artwork, but gives it a gloss finish, making the colours pop even more!
