Hans Deuss uses the so-called layered technique, which means that each painting consists of three or four layers of oil paint. The thin layers of paint remain somewhat transparent, allowing the layers to support each other. This technique allows him to achieve his end goal ‘a clear painting’. He works a lot on portrait linen, but he also uses panel as a support.
Thousands of small drawings represent his world of ideas. Those sketches are very detailed; small but very strong.
The most exciting sketches form the basis for his paintings. It is important to convey the atmosphere of the small sketches without losing the essence.
The small sketch is enlarged to the desired size and, if necessary, the next step is to make a perspective drawing
This basic drawing is transferred to the canvas. To do this, the back of the drawing is smeared with highly diluted brown-red paint.
The still wet paper is then fixed to the prepared canvas and the drawing is transferred exactly with a sharp pencil. He presses the drawing through, as it were, just like with carbon paper. Delicate red lines then appear on the canvas, forming his starting point.
The lines form the basis for the first layer, an underpainting. The light and dark areas are filled in with diluted paint to create the image he has in mind.
With each subsequent layer, the colors become more intense and the details are further developed. The light/dark effect is also sharpened in these layers.
It is important that his final goal, a lucid painting, is achieved.