A Portrait in Progress

I thought it might be interesting to show the process behind painting this portrait from life.  The painting on the left shows the stage where I am thinking about putting down lots of color and finding the planes of the face and features.  In the painting on the right, I've taken my trusty Langenickel soft brush and softened everything I did in the first stage, then added a few details like nostrils and highlights to bring it all together.

Here are the colors that I used in the light areas of her face.  I begin by mixing Cadmium Yellow Light, Cadmium Scarlet, and Titanium White for a basic warm skin tone.  Then I added a drop of green, then Cerulean Blue, then Quinacridone Rose, then more Cadmium Yellow to change the color of the skin ever so slightly.

For the shadows on her face and neck, I started with a mixture of Ultramarine Blue with Quinacridone Rose and Titanium White.  To this mixture, I added Cadmium Scarlet, then a medium value green, then Cerulean Blue, and lastly I mixed Yellow Ochre to my basic purple color.  This gave me a nice range of shadow colors to play with.

When I softened her face, I tried to let the colors stay separated just a bit.  I have a tendency to over blend and lose the color excitement.  When I find a good balance, I put my brush down and walk away quickly!

"Her Favorite Scarf", 9x12"

Last night, we gathered at Mainstreet Studio to paint Brittany.  Do you have any idea how hard it is to forge out into the Polar Vortex to paint into the night?  I am so glad that there are other hardy souls who are determined to paint from life on a regular basis, no matter what Mother Nature throws at us.  Not to mention our intrepid model, who could have been at home watching "Idol" or something!

I decided to try to keep this one pretty loose, and didn't worry too much about getting a perfect likeness.  I was more interested in pushing the color and putting down some really thick paint.

Grapefruit, Orange, Lime 12x9"

This week's Daily Paintworks Challenge is to paint some citrus fruits.  So I painted some.  Then I destroyed my painting with a dry paintbrush and repainted it.  Then I did it again.  Each time, I tried to leave some edges soft, and I tried to vary the color with each brush stroke. This "destroy and rebuild" technique is pretty fun-- you never really know how things will turn out!

Gerber Jar Daisies, 6x6"

I painted this little piece for the Daily Paintworks Challenge this week.  The challenge was to change your color with every brush stroke, using very large flat brushes.  Keeps one from becoming too fussy!

Woodstock Courthouse Show

Have you considered owning a larger piece of original art but balked at the mind-boggling prices?  I've got some pieces in the Woodstock Courthouse Art Gallery for a show through February with prices that are a fraction of my usual gallery prices.  They are all framed in black or dark bronze frames, ready for hanging. The sizes listed below are for the pieces without frames.

Contact Vicky at the Woodstock Courthouse Art Center for details and shipping.  I'll give you details about the upcoming reception on February 15th, too.  I'd love to see you there!

 "DeLawn", Oil Painted OnThick Gesso On Canvas, 22x24", $425

 "Red Scarf", Oil on Canvas, 12x16",  (SOLD)

 "San Diego Morning", Oil on Gesso Board, 14x11", $225

 "La Señora", Oil on Canvas, 12x9", $185

"The Visitor", 16x12", $325