Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Portrait Study #20


"Portrait Study #20", 14 x 11 In, Oil on Museum Board
Doing a series of paintings is a good strategy, because it allows for experimentation along with the vagaries of the day. "Vagaries" is a good word for it, thought I only knew what it meant in a vague sort of way until I looked it up in the thesaurus: Vagary: an unexpected and inexplicable change in a situation or in someone's behavior. Now doesn't that speak to the truth of the painter's way?

Friday, March 25, 2016

Portrait Study #19


"Portrait Study #19", 14 x 11 In, Oil on Museum Board
I've been doing mostly portraits of models with dark hair. It was strange how light colored hair changed so much in the approach to the portrait.

Portrait Study #18


"Portrait Study #18", 14 x 11 In, Oil on Museum Board
This portrait was was a study in the use of a slightly different palette--more ochres and yellows than pinks and reds for flesh tones.

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Portrait Study #17


"Portrait Study #17", 14 x 10 In, Oil on Museum Board
I would like to thank everyone for bearing with me on this portrait journey. I think maybe after 100 or 200 of these, I might figure a little more what I want to be doing with them. But spring is coming and outdoor painting is in the wind. Still, I have a few more to go.

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Portrait Study #16


"Portrait Study #16", 14 x 11 In, Oil on Museum Board
There are so many factors that go into a portrait and this one is maybe best described as being about expression. A tiny touch of paint on the corner of the mouth or the eyelid can change the entire expression of a portrait. It makes me think about everything we see in another's face and the instant understanding, often unconscious, of the meaning of these small nuances.

Friday, March 18, 2016

Portrait Study #16


"Portrait Study #16", 14 x 11 In, Oil on Museum Board
Sometimes I go through old photos for models to paint from. I don't usually try to create a likeness--its more a study of color, value and structure.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Portrait Study #14


"Portrait Study #14", 16 x 12 In, Oil on Museum Board
This was my 2nd study done at the Plein Air Washington Paint-In in February. The model had a wonderful purple wig. The best thing about a model is that she takes breaks--forcing me to step back. When I am painting in my studio, I forget to do this at times, until I have to have lunch. And then when I go back in the studio, there it is, a totally different painting than the one I remember from before when I was standing for an hour two feet away from it and intensely focused on the painting and my palette.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Portrait Study #13


"Portrait Study #13", 14 x 10 In, Oil on Museum Board

I'm calling these portraits "studies" to give myself psychological space to experiment. My raison d'etre for doing this series is to push myself beyond my habits. That is a lesson in itself which requires awareness in the moment of how I'm standing in front of my easel, how I am holding my brush, which brush I am using, which direction the stroke, keeping my values separated on my palette, continuing to use enough paint! I find that in the beginning one person is holding the brush and at the end of the painting it is almost as though another painter takes control. At what point does this change? This is fascinating.

Thank you all for viewing my artwork!

Monday, March 7, 2016

Portrait Study #12


"Portrait Study #12", 16 x 12 In, Oil on Museum Board

This portrait was done during the Plein Air Washington February "paint-in" in Edmonds. We had a wonderfully experienced model who takes things into her own hands--she brought the purple wig, which made for a very enjoyable color study.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Bessie and Moo - SOLD


My Facebook friend, Brian Simons, posted a wonderful painting of two calves a few days ago, and I remembered my painting of Bessie and Moo from a farm in Coupeville in 2009. Cows are sort of a relief after so many portraits!

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Portrait Study #11


"Portrait Study #11", 14 x 11 In, Oil on Museum Boar
I didn't get much painting done yesterday--my kitty got stuck between two upward branches of a fruit tree, and I mean really wedged in there. We though we would have to saw off half the tree to get her out, but in the end I was able to lift her, somewhat forcefully upward and it was obviously painful. She could barely walk and I took her to the vet fearful of a spinal injury. But maybe her leg was just numb because she's OK now. And no, Zinny, your cat door will remain closed for the rest of the week! Does anyone else have a cat who feels compelled to cover up food that's left in the dish with the laundry?

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Portrait Study #10


"Portrait Study #10", 14 x 11 In, Oil on Museum Board

Some of you may wonder why I paint on museum board for my smaller works. Its a habit that I learned from the late William F. Reese, my first plein air instructor, many years ago. I love museum board--it is archival, lightweight, inexpensive and when prepared the way I prepare it, has a wonderful surface. I purchase Risings 4 ply, 32 x 40 inch museum board from Daniel Smith, 25 sheets at a time. I usually prepare 10 sheets at at time. With my mat board cutter, I can cut the sheet to any size that I want.

You can go to this link for complete instructions on how to prepare museum board for oil painting.