Painting on paper is very different from painting on canvas because the paper absorbs the paint faster, and thus it is quick drying. In this new abstract painting, I began with bold reds as the central image and then began to work in from the outer edges. I worked quickly in order to be able to blend colors with a brush.
I painted the basic background with parchment and white, then blended in pale yellow, browns, blues and greens. I kept going back and forth--adding more red and orange to strengthen the central image, then adding other colors, then blending them out with parchment and white. Finally, I used a palette knife to create broad swaths of cadmium red and alizarin crimson.