Using Gesso and Paint with a Little Inspiration from Paul Klee

Not too long ago, I did some experimenting with Black gesso and paint which I saw back in May, on Wen Redmond’s wonderful site, http://fiberartgoddess.blogspot.com/.  The gesso acts somewhat like a resist to the more fluid paint.  It provides a raised surface to which to bring your paint.  I really like Paul Klee's work and was inspired by his painting of "Castle and Sun".

Castle and Sun by Paul Klee, 1928

Another one of my favorite paintings of Klee's is below.  If you've never checked out his work, I highly recommend doing so.  His use of color, value, shape, and space are very playful and delightful.

Heroic Roses by Paul Klee, 1938

Below is  a picture of my improvisational doodle in black gesso.  For whatever reason, I did not take a picture of my Klee inspired one with just the gesso.  But this will give you an idea of the process.

I allowed both pieces to dry for a week. 

I then painted within the small gesso outlined shapes using  Jackard’s Dyna Flow and Seatacolors mixed with a little water added to it and some acrylic ink.  I'm not real thrilled with how it turned out, but I really liked the process and plan to do more with it. Creating art is a lot about learning.  Not everything turns out great.