Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Staged - FINALLY Finished


I started this painting in early March. Eight weeks is a long time for a painting for me, though I should probably not be too hard on myself considering that I did go on vacation, finish two smaller paintings and a drawing, set up some new exhibition opportunities and write up press releases, etc., during that time. I've been keeping myself busy!

I'll post a schedule of upcoming events in the next day or two. A couple things are still up in the air, but I do have a few for-sure openings to announce.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

So Close!

Just a little more work on the background, and she'll be done.


Sunday, April 27, 2008

Staged - More Updates

All the changes on this one have been small, but time consuming. I've worked on the legs (did more on the feet after the picture below was taken, but the adjustments were slight) added the fringe on the legs and the tattoo on the chest.

The fringe was tough not only because of how intricate it is, but also because it casts a shadow onto the leg.

The difficulty with the tattoo is obvious. Many of the lines are very thin, and I was using a tiny liner brush to work on this. It took me 3 - 4 hours last night to put this in, and I purposely left out some details that are in the actual tattoo. Also, it is difficult to see here, but the whole tattoo isn't solid black, and actually lightens in the light. That effect might not be strong enough, so I might find myself coming back to this part again.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Ophelia II

New work-in-progress:
"Ophelia II" Oil on Canvas 36" x 24"


I started this painting yesterday, working many hours to get to this point. I am happy with this first layer, but I didn't think I would be when I started! Mostly, though, at this point I am pleased with the composition. It took me a long time to get this composition just the way I wanted it, and seeing it all blocked in on the canvas now I feel it was worth the time I spent sketching, pondering and rearranging.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Nautilus II - Completed

Except for the signature, this one is finished. Unfortunately, the jpg here is not showing some of the color the way I wish it would. For example, on the lit edge of the arm, you should see a strong 'optical red' which is also present in the edge of the hair and shadow on the lower arm. I'm not sure it is showing up as brightly as it should, nor are some of the other hues in the light areas. Oh well, I suppose you will just have to see it in person at my June show at Hilliard!


Announcements will be coming soon about upcoming shows. I have a lot in the works, including my solo show here in town at Hilliard, a group show out in St. Charles, MO, a relationship with a new gallery, and perhaps one or two other events!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Nautilus II - Updates

On this painting I've added the seat, the blue background, and continued to build depth from the shoulders to the midsection and near the elbow. I think this painting will come along relatively quickly, partially because it's small and partially because the paint is going on thicker and faster than on "Staged." It's heading in the right direction, but I need to get a few nuances and details in that are just generalized at the moment.

Staged - Updates

While I have made some progress, there is still a lot more to do on this one. Everything needs at least one more coat. At this point, I've still been focusing on the flesh. The rest goes faster than skin tones do; they need to be built up in layers.

You can see that here on the leg, the marks I originally had down for the fringe on the shawl are still visible. This will help me place them as I do the next layer. I anticipate doing another layer of both flesh and fringe here, and finally another layer to clarify fringe on top of that.

I worked a lot on the face, and while it's pretty much right on, I may need to add a bit more color to the face. However, if you've ever met the model, you know how porcelain pale she is.

Again, I've worked on the hands, and though I am fairly satisfied, the paint is just not thick enough in the light areas. Also, I really like to work adjacent areas at the same time to avoid the cut-out look that most of this area currently has, and I wasn't able to do that in this layer this time. The black paint takes so very long to dry that I like to work with it primarily in the first and last stages, so that I can get as much as possible done in the intermediate sessions without having to wait for it to dry. It's very important to pay attention to the edges so that they both describe spatial relationships and lead the eye through the painting.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Ask and You Shall Receive!


So, last time I posted (it seems like forever ago) I complained about my working and familial schedule. Lo and behold, the schedule is changing! My husband's working hours are going to shift, and this should restore the working schedule that I had about a year and a half ago. It worked out really well then; let's hope it works out really well when the new hours start this weekend.

The last week has *not* been as productive as I would have liked. The painting above has more layers on the flesh areas, excluding hands and face, and I started the painting below. I've made a new goal to get at least 3 paintings totally finished by the 30th. Will someone here please hold me to that? ;-)


Sometimes, I wish I could leave a painting in this stage, white background and all. Though, she could use having the object she's seated on put in so she doesn't appear to float. Which reminds me, I watched a program on PBS last night about levitation. It was fairly interesting, much better than the infomercials that were on as I was finishing up my work at 2:30 am.