A Topography of Self
This project involved exploring the concept of ‘terra incognita’, or the unknown land. I chose to use this concept as a way of considering self-exploration. This project also incorporated elements of mapping, where I drew from topographical maps for my colour palette.
This painting is on a 30″ x 48″ canvas, and I used a variety of techniques in my process. The background is done through rubbing the canvas directly with paint on a wet cloth, while the figure itself is painted in layers of colour. The butterflies in the top left hand corner are accented with splattered paint.
“Terra Incognita” 30” x 48″, acrylic on canvas.
Date: Summer 2011
- Acrylic Painting Techniques
- Process
The Plan
Butterflies quickly became a recurring symbol in my work, and in this piece I used them conceptually to represent exploration of the self. The butterflies are painted using the same colour palette as the figure, but are freed from the constraints of topography.
Skills
