The painting to the left is my first attempt at combining oil colours with ready mixed tubes of egg tempera. I now realise that I made some basic mistakes as a result of not fully understanding the paints. the biggest mistake made was using tempera on canvas rather than a hard surface such as wood, i'm not sure how this will affect the painting as it ages.
I used thick oils to layer non distinct areas of colours with different consistencies, these areas (light blue, dark blue and yellow) were meant to add ambiguity to the painting. It is not meant to be clear where, who or what this figure is. I also wanted the face to contrast with the blank areas of colour by being highly detailed with many subtle colour changes.
originally I was going to add far more to this painting but when I reached this stage I decided to leave the body and hands un painted other than a black guide line. I really like this half finished look because it makes the figures hands seem alienated from the face and body.
I am very pleased with how this painting turned out, its mysterious and bizarre with ought being too loud. whats interesting is that this painting is very different from my initial sketches and plans, I should remember this whenever I feel that I have hit a mental block. Once I start painting and experimenting with different techniques ideas will generate themselves.