Blood and Water

I have been considering the background I did the other day (sunset) for a while now and it seemed to need a dribble of blue running from the top of the work on the far RHS. As I saw this in my mind suddenly i thougth - oh my goodness - it's 'Blood and Water' a crucifixion painting.

I started to sketch in in chalk the line i wanted but realised there needed to be not one but three dribbles of water so ruled them all up so they were at the right intervals and lengths.

I debated whether to use a syringe or not to do the dribbles (as in 'The Memory') but in the end opted for a skinny brush loaded with paint. The thing that hit me after completing the work was not just that it was the Blood and Water of Christ that gushed out as He was peirced in the side post crucifiction, but also that inadvertantly I had painted in the three crosses of Christ and the two criminals (one on either side) where the Blood and Water intersected. I also realised the way I had integrated the silica sand and the overpainting in reds creats like a sense of movement, like blood flowing through a vein

The startling primary colours of the Blood and Water against the background also talks about Christ standing in the space between us and eternal torment.

Really thrilled with the work. Looks quite simplistic i guess with the primary colours against the black but is really quite complex.

The blue in this image is not quite true to colour for some reason - not sure why.