The color had thoroughly dried and the basic construct of the two maidens were done, I hung the sketch on the wall awaiting further development. I had an idea of using a traditional Asian architecture as a backdrop, but I needed to crystallize the mental image a little better. I find the process of hanging unfinished paintings on the wall a great way for me to work. I can afford to be nonchalant and casual about my works, and allow ideas to slowly ferment. Sometimes the realization takes a while, but more often than not, it comes to me in a flash. The key word for me is patience. Try not to force it.
My composition would be to employ simple geometric forms, using the hard, austere lines to contrast with the softness of the feminine figures. I will also use ink, or shades of gray in the background to make my subjects pop.
I placed my two maidens in front of a classical Asian palatial courtyard, where the supporting poles and beams of the open-air breezeway furnished the elements of geometric lines.
I painted in the shadows underneath the girls, not only to provide them with a presence, but that mere shadow provided a spatial perspective also.
I needed to make the inside walls of the breezeway a lot darker; not only to augment the depth perception and add to the spatial information but also to contrast with the colors of the clothing.
I chose to paint my dark wash from the back of my
Xuan. I fully exploited the translucent property of the paper. The shade was made to come through from the back of the paper, and presented the viewer with that
je ne sais quoi feeling of ambiguous reality. It rendered a presence more than a form.
The above insert represents the back of my Xuan. Note how all the brushstrokes from the other side (top side) is muted and yet very discernible. It is on this back side that I applied my ink wash to effect the dark wall.
The insert below shows the right-side-up painting after the wash dried.
Tied up a few loose ends by a little more definition on the contours of the maidens and by painting in the anchors of the wooden columns.
More shadows were added on the ground for texture and perspective. I put in some slanted shadow to breakup the strong vertical and horizontal lines.
Before I proceeded to painting in the roof, I hesitated. Something, someone, tucked on my hand and said stop. The vast void, where the roof tiles were suppose to go, was talking to me.
So I stopped.
I am going to be patient and look at the painting on the wall and let it speak to me some more before deciding what to do with that void.
I know my journey started with the words bustier, bustle and crinoline. After I settled on the idea of painting Korean garb I did a little more research and learnt that the traditional Korean clothing is called hanbok, and the skirt is known as chima. In hind sight the chima seems to have a much higher waist line, almost just under the bust. What I have painted is perhaps the result of my western influence innocuously filtering in. I was preoccupied with the likes of crinoline and bustle. I have painted a normal waist line. My sincere apologies to my Korean friends. This is not intended to be disrespectful, I just didn't know any better.
