Every painting I create begins not with a brush, but with a feeling. A memory of bare branches against a winter sky. The weight of silence in a misty landscape. The way light seems to breathe through layers of cloud. Before a single mark is made, I sit with that feeling — and let it guide everything that follows.
In this post, I want to take you behind the scenes and share the process that gives my work its signature texture and depth: impasto painting.
What is Impasto?
Impasto is a technique where paint is applied to the canvas in thick, heavy layers — sometimes with a palette knife, sometimes with a brush, and often with both. Rather than blending paint smoothly into the surface, impasto builds it up, creating ridges, peaks and valleys that catch the light and cast tiny shadows of their own.
The result is a painting that feels almost sculptural. One you want to reach out and touch. And that tactile quality is at the heart of everything I make at Maison M.
The Tools
My studio staples for impasto work include:
- Palette knives — in various sizes, for spreading, scraping and building texture
- Stiff-bristle brushes — for pushing paint into the canvas and creating directional marks
- Heavy body acrylic paint — thick enough to hold its shape as it dries
- Texture mediums and modelling paste — to build up the base layer before colour is added
The Process
I typically work in several distinct stages:
1. The base layer. I begin by building up texture across the canvas using modelling paste or a thick gesso. This is where the bones of the painting are laid — the rough terrain of a landscape, the suggestion of bark on a tree trunk, the movement of clouds. This layer is left to dry completely before I add colour.
2. The underpainting. Once the texture is set, I work in broad washes of colour — earthy ochres, warm greys, soft whites — to establish the tonal foundation of the piece. At this stage it often looks quite raw and unresolved, which I've learned to trust.
3. Building colour and depth. Layer by layer, I build up the palette. Warm neutrals, soft greys, touches of gold. I work wet-on-dry, allowing each layer to inform the next. The raised texture from the base layer begins to reveal itself as colour settles into the grooves and catches on the peaks.
4. The details. Finally, the fine work — the delicate branches of a silver birch, the shimmer of gold leaf pressed into wet paint, the subtle highlights that bring a piece to life. This is often the most meditative part of the process.
Why Texture Matters
There's something about a textured painting that a print simply cannot replicate. The way the surface changes as you move around it. The way morning light catches it differently to evening light. It's alive in a way that flat art isn't — and that aliveness is what I'm always chasing.
When one of my pieces finds a home, I love knowing that the person living with it will discover new things in it over time. A ridge they hadn't noticed. A shadow that appears only in certain light. That ongoing relationship between a painting and its owner is, to me, what original art is all about.
Browse the Current Collection
If you'd like to bring a piece of original textured art into your home, you can explore the current collection in the shop. Each piece is one-of-a-kind, handcrafted in my studio, and ready to hang.
And if you have any questions about a specific piece or the process behind it, I'd love to hear from you — just get in touch.