Darren Lewis
Original Artwork in Oils and Mixed Media
Painting Big
18th February 2016
Welcome to Margate IV – 170cm x 110cm Oil on Canvas – in progress
Painting Big
I enjoy painting big, but I also like to mix it up by having a couple of small paintings on the go at the same time. Painting big allows you to be less concerned with detail and being ‘fiddly’. Sometimes a broad brush stroke is all that is needed to suggest a building in the distance for example. It can free and loosen you up when dealing with smaller paintings. Painting big also has its difficulties. The sheer physical size gives demands to the act of painting. Mixing colour has to be more considered when covering large areas. Exhibiting adds another issue as the painting above, for example, is not going to fit in the back of your hatch-back. Other modes of transport is needed. Framing large paintings can be expensive and has to balance the size of the canvas. However, if you can pull off a large painting the sensation you get is far different from viewing a small painting. You feel somewhat immersed in large paintings, whereas smaller paintings the viewer gets the sensation of intruding from the outside looking in. When painting this one of Margate, I feel ‘in’ the seascape and closer connected to the place.