This was a really fun challenge because the reference I started with was almost completely monochromatic.
Instead of relying on the colors that were already there, I had to decide what colors I wanted to bring into it. I ended up using a mix of teal, gold, rust, deep reds, purples, and darker greens. It gave me a lot more freedom to play.
The collage part was another experiment for me.
I started by adding different papers and textures underneath the painting. Then I kept painting over them, adding more layers, marks, and color. By the time I finished, most of the actual collage was barely visible.
You can still see little pieces of it here and there, especially in the background, but it became more about the texture it created underneath everything else.
I really like how the finished painting turned out. At the same time, it’s funny because if you looked at it without knowing how it was made, you probably wouldn’t immediately think “collage.”
That was probably my biggest takeaway from this one. I enjoyed using collage as part of the process, but next time I’d like to experiment with letting more of it stay visible in the finished piece.
For this painting, though, I had a lot of fun just seeing where all of those layers would take me.
