Opulence- Palette Series

I can't remember exactly how the palette series came from the previous strand of the Opulence project- I think it was probably as simple as "Here are some more circles- let's paint them!" I loved the look of my paint-encrusted palette so one day just propped it up on an easel and set about painting it.
This was my first attempt, in acrylics and charcoal:

For those who knew me at this time, this loose, expressive painting style was very unusual for me. I've always been very precise and figurative in my drawings and paintings, yet at the same time always wanted to break away from it. I think this series of paintings marked the end of working how I thought I should, and instead working how I wanted to, and that's probably why it was the first project I was happy with on the foundation course. Anyway, here are the following paintings, all much larger scale than the first and done with a combination of house paint and acrylic:

I think it's the two triptyches at the end that are most successful. The last one was my first real foray into oil painting, which didn't crop up again until recently. 

Well that's all of the Opulence project. Next post- Final Major Project!