A rainy, dark scene seems appropriate for today, one with a bit of hope (only because I know how the story ends). So I painted a puddle dancer, a barefoot rain walker. I love the way the colors blended with my Portland grey underpainting. I also love the way this painting looks wet.
Three hour session with a lovely model Rhia. No measuring, or rules… just finding my way through the shadows and lights, just like a landscape. Lots of squinting and correcting: lighter, darker, warmer, cooler. Attempt no. 3 painting a portrait from life in oils went much smoother than the first two. Practice works. Now…who wants to sit still for 3 hours?
I am enjoying the challenge of painting people from life. Today I visited the Sorolla exhibit at the Meadows Museum. It was outstanding, somehow he painted huge (9×10 feet sometimes), outside with many people, and often waves in them. I don’t know much about his method, but I plan to learn. I am utterly inspired. If you don’t know his work google: Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida and look at the images, or better yet…head to Dallas before April and see the largest collection of his works gathered together in the last 100 years. The Meadows museum is on the SMU campus. I wandered the exhibit with a group of artists, and we had a special appreciate for his work, his brushstroke, color, and paint application.
Perhaps I will tackle one of those monumental paintings one day.
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Children on The Beach, Sorolla 1903
Children Running Along the Beach, Sorolla 1908
I love the way everything glows rose as the sun is setting. This painting was done from a photo under the skillful eye of artist Anna Rose Bain. I getting more comfortable with portraits and oils with each try. Thank you Rick, for encouraging me to keep trying.
I am continuing to work on my portrait skills. I took a wonderful one day workshop from the Anna Bain. I walked into her studio and was surrounded by beautiful faces: dozens of framed portraits hanging on all the available wall space. Anna’s paintings were breathtaking and inspiring. Her demo was amazing. The atmosphere was nurturing. After lunch we stood at our easels, brushes in hand ready to capture the lovely model, Misty, in oil. this was my first attempt to paint a portrait in oil. I had also never tried double, oil primed portrait grade linen as a surface to paint on (cotton primed canvas feels like sidewalk in comparison). I wish I would have had 3 more hours because I needed all of my time to establish the major highlights and shadows. My Misty looks older and more severe than how lovely and serene model actually was, but I am happy with my first attempt.
