In my view, a painting is a harmonious set of colors, forms, light and shade. So, my paintings have three stages:
- The drawing - where I have the first idea of the unity. Here, I look for the harmony of forms. Any improvement or correction can be done in stages which follow.
- The initial toned - where I introduce the harmony of light and shade. In this part I use transparent oil colors, mainly those with the highest dyeing (like phthalos and quinacridones). Among them, I mention (commercially there is a miscellaneous of names): PR101 (transparent version), PR112, PR122, PR170, PY42 (transparent version), PY83, PG7, PG36, PB15 (or PB15:1 or PB15:3), PV19 and PV23 [concerning these codes please see the Chapter 1 of my book Painting beyond the brush (in portuguese) ]. At this stage, I do not use either white or linseed oil. I use too much turpentine. These colors do not necessarily have relationship with the final ones (however, sometimes it is possible to feel their pleasant presence when the painting is finished). After this stage, I have a better unity. But, later on, if I notice that something else can be improved or correct, I can do it in the last stage.
- Putting the final colors - where I concentrate in the harmony of colors. Besides those mentioned above, we still have (I would like to mention that I do not use the same pigments all the time): PR101, PY3, PY17, PY42, PG17, PB15:4, PB29 and PW6, among others (I do not find that cadmium and cobalt are necessary pigments - I rarely appeal to them). Here I use alkali refined or cold pressed linseed oils, and stand oil in the final strokes. After this stage if I note that a lot of things are not good, I prefer to make a new painting. Deep corrections might lead to damages in the spontaneous performance of the work.
In plein-air paintings, I do the first two stages in place. Final colors are put in the quite atmosphere of my studio, where I try to let spaces for creativity and imagination. The items below are examples containing these stages.