Another Splash

Another Splash | Acrylic on Canvas

So Christmas has finally been and gone and I am super excited to be home, put my feet up and visit family back here in the Yorkshire countryside! Before breaking up for the holidays I managed to get another painting finished (pictured above), 'Another Splash', inspired by David Hockney. 

Hockney and his paintings of California from the 70's have popped up within my research a few times, particularly because of his use of soft pastel colours and focus on the luxury of living there. I also came across an artist, Guy Yanai, who recreated David Hockney's 'A Bigger Splash' in his own style (Image of the painting here) which gave me an idea. As I have recently made a series of works based from one composition, I thought it might be an interesting idea to do the same here and paint my own 'A Bigger Splash', forming a collaborative series using one of Hockney's, Yanai's and mine. I was also imagining homes in California all looking the same; modern architecture, outdoor swimming pool, freshly mown lawn and exotic plant life surrounded by a flat blue sky. I like the idea that the houses are made from one standard mould, but once someone lives within it they take on a different personality and I think this represents that idea.

Through this process I learned a lot in terms of colour and composition which I have found to be a valuable lesson when it comes to painting. Paying attention to colour is something I have struggled with in the past as I find it difficult to get the exact colour I want before giving up. While recreating Hockney's work I was forced to focus more on colour as his soft pastels are a signature aspect of his 70's paintings. I have come to realise that I love his palette and want to try using similar colours within my own work.

Overall I'm extremely happy with how this painting turned out. I believe I've managed to capture my personality through the techniques I used to create it and through this project of doing an artist study rather than creating my own work from scratch, I've learned a valuable lesson in the use of colour and composition.

I hope you all had a great Christmas and I wish you a Happy New Year!