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Saturday, September 29, 2012

Mugshot 69, Possible Family Member


He looks so mournful because he has - as everyone eventually develops in Texas - allergies.
This makes for lots of pink and red around the eyes, fun to paint. I made a good effort to get the skin color full of lots of pigment, and it was easy because I could see it. I photographed him backlit and in  shadow, so everything was pretty dark and close valued.  Also, still big bristle brushes for the most part.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Mugshot 68: Double Portrait, Queen Marianna and Jean


I went to the Meadows Museum in Dallas to see the Velazquez show. There were only a few paintings,  I think the show specified they were early court paintings.  The jewel of the show was the Phillip IV, I'm not certain of his number, and he was painted when Velazquez was 24 years old.  When I compared those early paintings with what I know of V.'s later ones, I could see and understand the difference.  The early paintings, although beautiful and ambitious, were without the poetry and breath of the later ones. I did turn a corner though and stumble on my friend, Queen Marianna, and so I got a little shot of the two of us.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Mug Shots 66 and 67 RT


These two  were done about a week apart, the top one done today.  I think his face is really as long as it is in the lower one, but I couldn't make my brain do it on a shorter panel.  I did use much much more pigment in the top one though -- I think it doesn't show so much in these photographs. I made lots of batches of paint with the palette knife,  so first I studied the photo carefully to see what areas could be generalized for color and then made it.  I think this keeps the paint cleaner and more pure.  Also, my brush work was better in the top one, I'm getting better at making the shape of the color fit the plane of the face.  Top one is better I think.

Mugshot 65, Self Portrait in Dewrag



I am holding the camera out in front of myself, thinking and figuring in my head what the light will do, etc.  Not being cynical.  I used big and little bristle brushes, none of my flats or brights which give me more control, so everything is rougher.  Which maybe I like.  But maybe not. Also working to get more pigment into the skin, not necessarily more colorful, although this shot had some amazing pale lavender lights around the eyes.  I just want to get the skin darker and it seems that the longer I work the paint, meaning more than one or two brush strokes, the lighter and more amalgamated the whole thing becomes, which I do NOT like.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Mugshot 64, Monkey


I have been working and reworking the same painting for the last three days and just cannot get it, so I have wiped it one last time and put it away for awhile. A girl just needs to have some fun.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Mugshot 63, Cigar


Again, the big brush for as much as I could do.  Also, I tried to get as much pigment into the skin as possible. I notice that when I am doing a timed painting with my painting group (bad light, glare, etc.) I can't see very well, and since the timer is going I just have to make approximate decisions and get on with it. The skin always looks better than when I am working on my own, and from photographs.  WEll, now that I write that, it could be one of the differences between having the live model and having an already interpreted image in a photo.  Whatever.  I think the time pressure forces an economical reduction of detail.  I wonder if you can learn to do that.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Black Chihuahua


This is one of the rescue dogs belonging to my student, who is painting her animals.  This photo was in the studio and I couldn't resist.  Those ears. That anxiety.  Ai yi yi.

I made myself paint it primarily with the 1 inch bristle brush, trying to build on what I have been learning about getting the form down faster.  The paint behaves differently with the bristle --- the oily quality is more apparent and edges merge more easily.  Also, it was fun to paint a dog that wasn't a commission -- bwa ha ha --- no one to please.  This went down pretty much in one shot.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Mugshot 62, T.P.



In this painting I used the big bristle brush for the first 3/4 of it.  It won't let me get specific and forces me to address the masses, which is not my inclination.  I remember once looking at a painting of Freud's and there was this febrile pink line under the eyeball, which was the top plane of the lower eyelid. It was so beautiful, so unexpected and true.  Instantly brought me to my knees - how to paint that, how to get it down.   I'm in love with those details of the face, the portrait, and I always want to get right to those parts of the painting.  However, now I know this must not be done until the end, so the big brush is a help.  Just in the last few months I have been able to  use an array of brushes depending on what was being painted, saving the brush with 3 hairs in it for the pink lid, should I have one.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Farm Girl Jam Label, Blackberry, and Portrait of Gir



Top painting is the last of the Farm Girl Jam Labels, Blackberry Jam.
Below is the amazing painting of a current student.  This noble Chihuahua is named Gir.
As in GRRRRR. So fine!

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Jam Jar Label, Pomegranate



Pomegranate Jam Jar Label.  Do know know why the printer has redirected this copy and centered everything, Hal has obviously taken over.