Final Portrait Red and Green

Only three sessions with this model...ran out of time to to really finish to the level I wanted, but c'est la vie. Fun to do anyway.  My copy of The Bostonians Painters of an Elegant Age arrived already, but have only had time to make a glancing acquaintance with it, enough to be pleased with the purchase. Have been looking at Classical Painting Atelier by Juliette Aristides lately as well, which I purchased at last year's Portrait Society of America meeting. Aristides has made a very straightforward discussion of "classical" painting methods accessible and provocative, by incorporating a generous mix of paintings both contemporary and classical. Among them, Rubens' Four Studies of a Head is an education all in itself.

Sometimes, it's great to soak in the influences...and then get back to the paint. Aloha!

Hey, Happy Birthday to my dear little blog! One year and counting!

The Bostonians

Ordering this book today: The Bostonians Painters of an Elegant Age by Trevor Fairbrother after seeing it in class today...

My intention in this portrait is putting it all together. Trying to work with composition, values, edges, and the over-all impact as it comes along. This is starting to be fun...
 Aloha!

For reference: Tulips in Red and Blue

Painting is on hold this week....too much of the bread-winning and family health issues to focus. But still thinking about painting. Many of the Daily Paintworks artists and others have shared visual references online, so I thought it might be my turn. I did a painting "from life" of this scene.This little photo captures some of what was delightful to my eyes. If you use this in a painting...Great! Send me a picture and I'll post it! Aloha...

Madelaine session 1

Painting in class is a lot like sketching in public. It helps to leave the old ego at home. For me, the first marks especially need to be free and open to the magic in the image. Often the act of painting feels very much like I am channeling energy and the more "I" stay out of the way, the better it goes. So, a part of me is analyzing and thinking about angles and edges and values, but the part that is actually getting the paint on canvas is just plain having fun. It's really exciting! So, I share these progress pictures without worrying too much that they aren't "perfect". Cause Perfect isn't really invited to this party...ENJOY! Aloha!