Moving on from colour and focusing on marks

After creating several colour experiments using different hues, techniques and artists inspiration, I got the impression that quite a few of the marks lacked thought, definition and any sense of organisation. So I thought the best way to improve them was to move on from colour to monochrome using the inspiration of a more relevant artist, (Gerhard Richter) therefore I began to explain my plans as well as exam and technique ideas.

Future exam plans based upon different scenarios in terms of money for materials, etc. 

Basic explanation as to what I am transforming to and from and how I am going to achieve that process. Shoeing the tools that I am currently using and what I plan to use for my new techniques and why. Then the second page goes on to discuss the new artist I will be studying and explaining why the marks he uses are more relevant to me.

This page continues on from the previous ones about Gerhard Richter's work in more detail such as his specific techniques and how he uses photographs under his paintings too. The page on the right shows a selection of work which I have already completed on Richter during my previous year, therefore I already have a deeper understanding of him as an artist.

After this I began to start my monochrome experiments, but just before as you can see in the picture below, I created a practical piece which was in order to summarise what I had previously planned above. I did this in order to create flow through my work from colour to monochrome. The painting is labelled and includes annotates as an explanation for why I am moving forward from the colour; 

On the right shows my first experiment using black acrylic paint, I did this in a very specific way in order to try and capture Richter's lines. I used a long handled paint brush that was quite thin, then I put acrylic paint down the whole length of the brush before sweeping it down the page in different directions.

After this I began to build more and more on top to create multiple layers which would create more texture and eventually create a substantial composition.

Here I have added the photographs of Richter's work that I used for inspiration throughout each specific piece as well as postit notes which state which materials I have used, my techniques and my initial intentions for the piece, e.g. the one on the right is texture. 

Here I have began to use the photograph from Fogo Island. Beneath the expressive acrylic marks I have sketched the outline of the main features of the photograph such as my family figures and the volcano itself. This was in effort to start reaching the final goal of the picture underneath my marks. Although, I don't think the sketch represented the photograph very well so it didn't give me an accurate idea and the marks were too unorganised.

I then looked through and realised that get again all my work had been completed on a paper based surface. So I began to use the canvas material and ink again, (just like I had hoped to) except this time I also did a sketch underneath using biro pen and excess black acrylic paint to add more variation. The sketch was much more defined by using pen but still quite unrepresentative, but the blotchy ink affect was really relatable to lava themes as it contained that thick liquid flowing impression.