I painted this using the acrylic glazing method-many very thin layers so that the color gradually builds up. The background and much of the hair was painted with thicker, opaque layers.
She is moving fast, enjoying the bright sunshine and outdoor activity. Just like her movement, her youth will seem to have flown by so fast. One flash and she’ll be grown up!
Oil on Board, 12 x 16, 90 minutes
This was a delight to paint during these grey and rainy days!
Recently I tried two more one hour portraits, but this time from photos I’d taken in the past year. They were useful studies, again with good learning experiences involved. The process forces quick decisions, and sometimes they are wrong! In the first picture, the angle of the face should be tipped forward more. (I used this study as a practice for a more finished painting).
In the second painting, the general positioning is good, but the eyes are too low, even though I was comparing distances with the end of my paintbrush. However, she has the right look of intensity and concentration. I’d like to do this one again as a more finished painting.
They are both oil , 11 x 14, painted on canvas board (toned chromium oxide green).
This is my third month-long Show at the Bellevue Gallery, which is attached to the Farmer House Museum in Bloomington, IN. I had 16 paintings on display for the month of October. There are 4 portraits, 4 landscapes, 4 flowers and 4 figures. Paul Kane, artist-in-residence at the Gallery, hung the Show and placed them in unusual dimensions to show that I was working in different directions. I think my next Show should be more uniform and cohesive?
We had a reception on Friday, Oct 18, which was mid-Show. Attendance was low, but we had a great time playing music and talking! I am very grateful to be able to display my paintings at the Gallery.
Finally finished! I feel my version looks a bit more intense than the original, maybe slightly more worried. The more I look at it, the more changes I see I could make to match the original more accurately. Whilst that seems to lead to a never-ending project, it is also one of the wonderful aspects of drawing or painting that I love; the more you look, the more you see, and you really come to know and appreciate that object in a different way than previously.
Her eyes make a big improvement! It was so great to see ‘life’ appear in her face!
I’ve had the great pleasure of having four lessons with Kari Rajkumar, from Paris IL, this spring (Feb, March, May and June). She is an accomplished artist in oil portraits. I first saw her paintings on display in Terre Haute last fall and knew right away that I’d like to learn from her.
We decided to delay starting lessons until after Christmas. It worked out best for her to come to my home, which was very convenient for me! We worked on a copy of a portrait by John Singer Sargent, each working on our own painting. She instructed and described processes as we went along in the 3 hour lessons.
I learnt so much great information about oil paintings and portraits in particular. I also benefitted from applying those to my other paintings, which Kari would then critique for me. That was really helpful.
Oil on canvas panel, 8 x 10
My daughter-in-law suggested that I paint something for my son’s birthday and sent me a photo of their youngest daughter to work from. I thought it was a lovely expression, a fun pose and a great background. It came together really well and the result makes us all smile.
It’s still in my possession, but I will give it to my son when he moves to a new house in the summer.
9 x 12, acrylic on board
This is a one hour study from a photo. I love sleeping pictures because they are so unposed and the person is very relaxed. This daughter, though, thinks that it’s unfair to catch her without her knowledge, and I can understand her feeling of vulnerability. However, I still like sleeping pictures.
It was fun to see it come together as I placed the colors and values. I concentrated on her face; if I’d allowed myself more time, I would have changed the shadow on her arm, and worked on the fabric of her dress a bit more.
