To make this new abstract painting, my primary tool was a palette knife, which I used to apply heavy body Liquitex acrylics. First I painted the whole 20" x 20" canvas in unbleached titanium (a creamy beige color) with a brush.
Then I used a palette knife to apply the main colors, beginning with titanium white. I made some loose, broad strokes which left some of the background color showing through. Next, I added yellow oxide, then raw sienna, and finally, burnt umber.
As I worked, I let the colors blend, but not too much. It is tricky using a knife because you have less control than a with a brush. I used the burnt umber for the heaviest accent since it had the most contrast with the white and the beige background.
My last step was to draw lines in the burnt umber, highlighting movement and outlining shapes for emphasis. Then I slowed down, adding more white here, more brown there, even using a brush at one point to subtly change a color.
