Magmarama

By Barry Hammond

Mixed media

20 cm x 20 cm x 4 cm

Price on request

Meaning and Visual Impact:

An exercise in texture and colour. The idea for this painting was inspired by volcanoes where molten magma boils in a deep depression in a mountain top. The colours in active volcanoes are very vivid with bright shades of colours emanating from the molten magma contrasted by the austere colours of the rocky volcano.

Technical Aspects:

The painting is heavy in texture due to the mix of sand, glue and acrylic paint. This material was used to form the rock like perimeter and the seemingly deep hole in the middle. The hole in the painting was done by carving out the surface created with sand, glue and acrylic gel. In the magma section oil glaze was mixed with oil paint which creates a fluid effect to emulate flowing molten lava. This technique works quite well on a smaller canvas but can be problematic with a larger canvas because the sand, glue and heavy impasto paint can make the painting very heavy.