Northern Lights

Well here we are Autumn is almost over the dark nights are with us. I love crisp cold dark nights when I can see lots of stars twinkling in the sky after the stunning colours of the setting sun. Here in the UK there a only a handful of places where, if the conditions are right you might spot the Northern Lights. Going to Norway or Iceland to see the Northern Lights is high on my bucket list but until then, I have created my own abstract Powertex painting to stir or feed that dream!

So grab a coffee and relax while I take you through some very simple steps to create your own version.

First I took a canvas that had been part used on a demonstration and it already had some texture at the bottom. I had created the texture using a mix of Easy Structure and Powertex sand balls which I put down on a white 30×30 cm canvas.

I then made up some Easy 3D Flex with some white powertex and using a metal artist pallet knife I spread the 3D Flex mixture vertically on my canvas. As the base texture was already dry, I painted over a good coat of White Powertex.

Next I mixed up some blue bister granules using a teaspoon of granules to 30 mls of warm water from the kettle with 30mls of white vinegar. This gives a crisper look when sprayed on your canvas as can be seen in the image below. I also sprayed some standard black bister at the top area of the sky section

To give more depth I sprinkled some blue bister granules onto the area representing water and rocks and sprayed this with water.

I then left the whole thing to dry and crack over two or three days.

Once it was dry I washed back the black area of bister using a damp sponge. I then used a mix of the Aqua blue and Deep Sea Secret Art Loft acrylic inks to create the dark water and sky. I then used Secret Art Loft acrylic paints in Key Lime, Blueberry Pie and Plumb Pudding on a very dry brush to create the colours synonymous with the Northern Lights.

I then added some metallic highlights using Golden Metallic and Viola Metallic inks as well as Green Ginger, Limoncello Gold and Colortricx Pearl pigments mixed with Powertex Easy Varnish.

I can’t tell you exactly how I added the pigments and colours as I use loads and loads of very light layers, just experiement and have fun!

Here is the finished piece

 

Here is a short video tour of the painting giving closeups on my colour blending.

 

See you in December where I have created a Powertex Christmas Ornament!

Bye for now

Fi