“Pure Imagination”
cRaZy stuFFed aniMAL Pile Story!!!
The Light Layer and the Birth of Color
"Pure Imagination"
oil and pencil on aluminum panel
48"x48" (122cm x 122cm)
cRaZy stuFFed aniMAL
Light Layer
if you are just now joining the story behind "Pure Imagination", i encourage you to first read
PART 1: THE BEGINNING!… SKETCHING IN THE MOMENT
and now… the continuing Story! :)
i have officially finished the second layer of this wild and cRaZy, beautifully unique painting! i realized as i was creating this piece, most never really get to see it at this stage, since all the underpainting “normally” gets covered up by later brushstrokes even though it is where the energy of the piece really starts! So even though this piece is Not Even Close to done, i am so excited to share it with you…
PART 2: THE LIGHT PAINTING AND BIRTH OF COLOR
why call it a Light Painting instead of an underpainting?
i have decided to use the phrase Light Painting instead of the more technically correct term underpainting because this layer is where the creation of light happens! The way light falls upon and across an object, the way the shadows pass, this moment is where that is all created, and to me it is one of the most beautiful parts.
exploring the Light Painting layer
“Pure Imagination” is really such a unique piece because every part of it has its own individual light source, and the way these moments happen throughout the entire piece is the real magic in the painting.
The brushstrokes here are very light and delicate with lots of mineral spirits, turning the oil paint into something more like an ink compared to my thick impasto work.
Because of this very inky oil paint, I was able to make really continuous, long, rhythmic brushstrokes… some even 5-ish seconds long! Each plushie is painted very energetically, in the moment, with brushstrokes that are full of life, energy, AND light! :) The contrast makes this painting a LOT of fun to look at… as my friend Tomi said, “I like seeing your other paintings BUT!... this painting, i want to Watch!”
Each brushstroke influences the next brushstroke, very consciously, from one to the next. i pay a lot of attention to what i am doing and i am fully immersed and aware of how i create even if I am not in full control… embracing that is the real beauty i am finding in art :)
-Brent
the real Beauty of art
There are endless amounts of moments in the creation of this layer that became so unique and beautiful. To name one of many, there is a moment in the turquoise bunny where some blue mineral-spirit rich oil paint ran down across the yellow and into the eye. I just fell in love with the imperfect beauty of it and have decided i really do not want to lose that moment… it is something i could never have planned, a preserved moment of me as an artist, fully immersed in the process.
i realized there was vulnerability there. I am not in full control when i am lost in the moment like that. Sometimes i make a “mistake” and mark over a brushstroke i really wanted to preserve on the canvas but it happens because i have surrendered to the process of creation… there are No right or wrong answers :)
and as always… stay Inspired!!! :)
If you would like the opportunity to collect a piece like “Pure Imagination” or any of my other original paintings, please consider joining my Collectors’ Waitlist!
The Studio Team and i take the time to match each of our Collectors with their ideal budget, acquisition time frame, and preferred Series so you can bring home the Brent Estabrook original painting that is perfect for you!.. and maybe someday i will create finished paintings at this Light stage because i think there is a real magic to them! :)