'Dinner Party' Process

This was one of those fairly frequent occurances where I begin a painting and decide it isn't working. I made an executive decision to abandon this work so flipped it on it's side to use as the underpainting for a new work.

I became so involved in the process I forgot to document it, so I had progressed a fair bit before I remembered to photgraph what I was doing. I had probably been working on the painting for a few hours at this point.

I want my work to keep its energy and expressiveness so continued working quickly using a palette knife, smearing on the paint and adding in glasses, bowls and other items intuitively. I work on all parts of the painting at once, constantly stepping back to see how it looks in its entirety.This scene is basically a jumble of elements from many photos and my own imagination. I had the basics down on day one, and reviewed and made slight additions and 'tweaks'on day two.

This is the finished work. Expressive, energetic, and lots of colour, which I love.

The whole piece , including the frame, measures 127cm wide x 97cm high x 7cm deep and is available to buy.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog!

Cheers, Paula Maggs