Donation continued/Phase 7
Phase 7 -- halfway
No more sponge marks!
That is what I've decided needs to be done. I have to figure out a way to cover up these chocolate brown spots that won't add an unrelated element -- like a new texture or different kind of brushstroke -- and will fit into the overall "grid" design of the piece.
No new elements!
I decide to isolate each spot and paint over them with an opaque color, but I've applied these marks haphazardly so trying to create patterns is proving impossible and some of the spots overlap so there are larger areas that need to be obscured.
Masking tape becomes my new friend. I begin cutting stripes of tape in half lengthwise and putting borders between marks where I can. In cluster areas I try to lay out small shapes that cover up as much of the sponge marks as possible while still keeping the "grid" element intact. At the same time I'm trying to hold on to the orange "lattice" that cuts through each panel.
The colors I choose are: the yellow I used to make the "blinds" effect, orange because I want to tie some of these back into the original piece, the green I used to create the vertical line, a light teal blue that has been rattling around in my mind for a while, and the dark ultramarine blue that the large brushstrokes in the original piece were done in.
Phase 7 complete
I decide that the best approach is to apply color randomly through I do consider applying them in bands (top to bottom or horizontally) but I decide that will -- particularly with the blue -- create to strong a "line."
When I remove the masking tape the sponge marks are, for the most part, gone, but I'm unsure about the "confetti" effect I've created with the other colors. Its placement seems random and some of the color spots are too big and too bright (particularly the teal, but I like the dark blue because tonally it needed that -- and maybe more?)
Painting is a never ending series of decisions. With acrylic paint I could experiment and if I don't like something wash it off before it dries, but with the masking tape approach this isn't really possible. I have to commit.