It isn’t unusual for things to change throughout the painting process…. however, The Midnight Muse seems to have had more changes so far than most. It all started with the background……

Background Take One:

This was the first attempt, and had already been through a few changes in the window design, but I thought I had my background sorted. Then after a day or two, I suddenly detested it to the point of violence and erased the whole lot. It was too contained, too normal and simply didn’t fit the atmosphere I was trying to capture with this piece. So far, the time spent was around 2hrs all up – an hour on the Muse herself and an hour on the background.

Background Take Two:

The new background came to me pretty quickly, and I was so much happier with it that I started painting before remembering to take a photo *grins*. The sketch of the background looks pretty blank/bland, but I had big plans involving dribbling paint and torn bits of paper….. yep, I decided to move into collage territory. I squished out a palette of acrylic and gouache in blues, silvers and blacks and went nuts…… ended up with blue hands and a smile on my face.

Work in Progress:

And this is where The Midnight Muse is at now. The background is almost complete, and the time for painting Her close. This is often when I start to get nervous if I’ve painted the background first…. the figure is generally central to my paintings and the focus, so potential for dissappointment is high. Especially because I struggle with skin tones most of the time…. and hands. I’m not sure how much time the background took to paint, I forgot to check… which is a good sign

Well, that is a look into the nitty gritty of my painting style… though it seems to change constantly. My fickle Muse is all excited about a new piece, Thorn, which is all sketched and ready to paint. I will try and time the painting, for those who are curious how long the creative process is for me.

I never know how to finish these posts…. erm… the end.

Welcome to the first work in progress post. I’ve decided to start right from the very beginning with this one – at the moment The Midnight Muse is simply an idea. Inspiration came from a few places for this, the mythology of the Leanan Sidhe and the dark side of creativity, the creative drive itself, and driven artists who died young or went mad. Think VanGogh and Brett Whiteley…

This is how The Midnight Muse begins, with a little story…

The Midnight Muse

She is the dangerous muse, the one that has you leaping out of bed at strange hours, head full of ideas and an itch to create. She can be intoxicating, and if treated with care and caution can inspire wonders. But beware, for you are her blank canvas as much as she is your muse….. and you don’t want to know what she has planned for you. Sleepless nights over weeks and months, neglecting friends or family or food, forgetting who you are… these are all warning signs that you are in too deep, and need to reconnect with reality and life before you are hers forever.