Broken Desert 1, mixed media painting, cotton canvas, 30 x 40 cm
Broken Desert 2, 24 x 30 cm, mixed media on stretched canvas
I never thought of a Broken Desert series when I created the Broken Desert painting in 2020, now it`s Broken Desert 1. Now on with this new painting and a third will be ready soon. They are all mixed media paintings that basically show the effects of climate change. Deserts are becoming even drier and areas that were previously wet are now becoming desert. When it comes to the colors, I stick to natural tones and try to achieve harmony in the painting, while the structures should convey chaos or perhaps represent too many structures. In this painting I have structures through gesso, a crackle paste and through the application of acrylic paint with the help of a spatula or a sponge brush.
Broken Desert 3, 15 x 15 cm, mixed media on stretched canvas
For the third painting, I didn't apply any paste or gesso to the sky because the underlying and conserved painting already has textures that I was able to use the effect of. I have not painted or suggested a mountain range either, because the sky seems to me like fog trying to envelop the dark band clinging to the horizon. The painting process for the desert is identical to the second painting. Violet colored highlights can be found in the sky as well as in the desert.
Broken Desert 4, 24 x 30 cm, mixed media on stretched canvas
The series - Broken Desert - continues. Painting number 4 shows a desert with a mountain landscape. In the beginning I made the mistake of combining blue and yellow with the color design. The contrast was just too strong and I had to think about how to reduce this contrast in addition to my actual plan. The actual plan was to achieve as many textures as possible. Starting with the structure pastes, applying alcohol that breaks the acrylic paint apart and using a coarse sponge. By applying Payne's Gray and later Titanium White, I was able to reduce the previously missed contrast and achieve the result I can show you.
Broken Desert 5, 24 x 30 cm, mixed media on stretched canvas
Another painting from the Broken Desert series is finished. It comes much closer to the colors of a desert than the other paintings do. Nevertheless, the red tones were too strong for me, which is why I darkened the surface with Payne's Grey. The highlight in this painting are the copper-colored elevations, which stand like individual high rock formations in a desert.
Broken Desert 6, 15 x 15 cm, mixed media on stretched canvas
The Broken Desert series ends with Broken Desert 6. Provisionally. I admit, like other series, I'll just continue it at some point. Of course that can also happen with this series. Ironically, Broken Desert 6 is a seascape and not a desert landscape. Since some pieces of the crackle paste were broken, I came up with the idea of creating a coastal landscape. Of course there are also deserts that end or begin at seas. I stuck to browns and blues with iridescent highlights; in gold or white. I won't be able to condense the painting because then I will lose the powdery effect of the brown pigment of the coast. That's one of the special things about this painting. The edges are painted dark blue and not black or Payne's Grey like the other paintings.
You can watch the painting process in real time and timelapse on Patreon.
