How I Paint

I love reading accounts of how other artists work. It shines a light into their art.
We all have our own personal way of creating, our own little idiosyncrasies, so I thought I would share with you the processes I use. To you who paint it will seem very everyday, but if you don't paint I hope you enjoy this little peek inside my practice!

Mary Kemp.
"Taking Photos"
Oil on canvas panel.
40 x 30 cm.
Available from my website.
www.marykemp.co.uk

My work starts on site, mainly around the east coast of Norfolk. I record what I see by drawing and making notes, and also make full use of the camera on my phone.
Back in the studio I contemplate what I've collected and loosely plan my composition. It's useful at this point to indicate on the canvas where the main components of the composition are going.
As soon as possible I get started on the painting, down to the nitty-gritty. I use artist's quality oil paints and a proprietary medium because this gives the greatest versatility, from very thick application of paint to delicate transparent glazes. I usually have several works on the go at once because oil paintings need time to dry between layers.

One of the most common questions any artists gets asked is  "How long does a painting take?" And it's such a hard question to answer! Some take a long time, endless revisions, and some almost happen by themselves. I call those "Just like that!" paintings. But sadly they are few and far between.