#99 MASTER CLASS — THE ARTIST’S PROCESS with MARJORIE THOMPSON PART 2
Bringing it all together. In Part 2 of this Master Class, Marji takes us deeper into her studio as she navigates the final stages of her painting. Watch how she tackles those tricky finishing touches—making subtle adjustments, integrating layers, and moving her piece to completion. How does she decide when it’s done? What little changes make the biggest impact? Follow along as Marji shares her insights, decisions, and techniques for taking a painting across the finish line.
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Marji
Thank you so much for your generosity and thoughtfulness in sharing this. It was so useful and encouraging!
What is the masking fluid you use please?
Hi Stoney – The masking fluid is called Peel Tek. It is available at some hardware stores, sometimes on Amazon and from a few online websites.
I love your paintings Marji! thanks for sharing your process. I appreciate specially the second part because its the moment where sometimes i feel i ruin all my work. So yes, being confident and go further is a good advice for me. I loved also the questions your ask yourself. They will be with me now.
Marji – Thank you for generously sharing your process. I especially appreciate your focus on uncertainty. “I’ll try this color, not sure, but we’ll see…I can always change it” (paraphrased!) Keeping that attitude of exploration with intention can be hard sometimes when we want things to work, to be “right”. I also love your color courage and focus on value as much as color. What a wonderful process to share!
Marji—
I want to share some of my take-aways from your wonderful Master Classes:
• Your willingness to take a risk and be vulnerable when you couldn’t know where your work on the piece would take you. The modesty you conveyed.
• How you made the transition from a play board to a work with intention
• How confident your brush strokes are
• How patient you were with yourself and with the piece. How you gave it time to show what it needed to be
• The distinction you pointed out between tentative and intentional marks
• The work in the quiet conversation towards the end
• How you alternated between intuition and self-critique
On this last point I wanted to ask: As a figurative painter I’ve been trying to figure out how to integrate more play into my work. Starting by playing without intention is one way, but I still haven’t figured out how to continue playing as the work becomes more and more representational. I wonder how you see this. Do you see the intuition that operates as you paint as the same as play? For you what is continuing to play as a piece progresses?
Thanks for the great videos
Wow Karin. Thank you for this note and all the take aways. You bring up a really good point to talk about and I wish we could sit down and have a dialog over a coffee about this. It is hard to keep play going as the work begins to really dial in that’s for sure. The paintings go in phases for me. The first phase is total play and coaxing something from chaos. The second phase is continuing to experiment and play while shifting things around until the design is working. The third phase is when I have a lot of fun in the quiet conversation both darks and lights. Once I get the design how I want it, keeping the values really close means that I can put a lot of information into the spaces and it is something that I really enjoy. There is a lot of seriousness to all this too as the finishing gets more and more. But, there are areas that I find I can still enjoy a lightness and playfulness all the way to the end.
Thank you, Marji. Just wonderful to watch and listen to your process. Your colour choices are beautiful and the whole painting is a magical walk through the forest. I appreciate your sharing this with us.
Dear Marji,
Thank you so much for sharing your process. I loved hearing you talk about using the principles of art as constant stepping stones with an intuitive dance to a finished painting.
The finished piece is magical!
Connie Mygatt
Hi Marji!
I loved this…I felt like I was watching a fellow creative explorer on expedition! My studio-mate can give me a hard time about talking to myself but it helps me to sort things out. Your work is beautiful.. Thank you so much for doing this for us!!
Hi Marji, Thank you for doing these videos! Your work is beautiful! It helps to watch you work, and I’m not sure how you manage, but your explaining as you work is doubly helpful. I have a few questions… What type of paper are you using on your pallet? The tracing paper I’ve used is too thin, and yours looks like it can take a lot of brushing on top without tearing. Which Nova Color Greens do you use? Did you say you use Stabilo water-soluble pencils? And if you like what you draw, it is fine because you use the medium over it to seal it, or do you paint over the line? Thank you again for sharing your process!
Hi Judy, the tracing paper I use is from Dick Blick. It is their store brand and comes precut in a pad. As for Nova colors, I think I have all the greens they make. My favorites are Medium Green, Thalo Green, Deep Green, and Yellow Green. And, for a warm green I use Oxide Green. I also mix greens and my favorite right now is Cad Yellow Medium and black. It makes a wonderful olive green. I do use the Stablio woodie pencils. I also use Caran d’Ache. I do seal them with gloss medium and sometimes I use a fixative spray especially if I am worried they will smear.
Wow, thank you! I love how you spoke and worked your way through and around this painting. Informative and inspirational and very much appreciated.
Margi – this was such a joy to watch. I love all the little marks and how you worked your way around the piece. it IS magic!
I’d absolutely love to know which flat brushes you use – you seem to be able to ‘sculpt’ the lines so easily with them – I have no brushes like that. Are they synthetic?
Hi Shani, yes they are synthetic. They are a brand called Zem. I buy them on Amazon in a three pack 1”, 3/4” and 1/2”. They are my favorites.