Both of these are from my own photos. The first has been abstracted by layering and scraping, thereby revealing evidence of the earlier painting, which contributes both colour and texture.

Clearly very different in style, I made these alongside each other, switching between the two as and when. The first has an obvious leaning towards exposing the grain of the canvas and the textures contributed by the sacrificial painting, while the second employs thicker layering alongside dilute washes and drips.

I’ve scrubbed the second painting with a wet cloth to take the original painting down as far as possible, then built up the new piece within the constraints of the pencil drawing of the scene. The wisps visible in the photo are much less apparent when viewing the physical piece, so either the camera is pulling out the low-level contrasts or our eyes treat the two experiences differently. Gestalt again – the physical painting perhaps being treated as a whole, and the digital one as an image with more accessible detail which is to be unpacked.

So that was Sunday.

© Suzanne Conboy-Hill 2025