Layering has long been important in my painting process. It’s a simple notion: on day one, I paint the first layer; on day 2, I paint on top of the first layer; on day 3, I paint on top of the second layer; at some point, the layers, what’s hidden and what’s revealed, form a composition that satisfies, and the painting is finished.
Of course, it is much more complicated, and more contingent, than that.
I paint with acrylics, which means that layers dry fast. On top of acrylic paint or ink, one can layer oil paint, oil sticks, graphite, pencil, pastels, acrylic markers, more paint. A layer of paint over paint can be scumbled (applied very dry) or glazed/washed (very wet). Layering the same colour intensifies the hue; layering another colour changes it.
