"Paintings have a life of their own that derives from the painter's soul." Vincent Van Gogh

Friday, May 31, 2013

Painting on a Wing and a Prayer

Oil on linen panel / 24 x 36
I have no title yet for this rather overly ambitious piece. I worked on it for about 3 hours and feel drained so knew it was time to stop for today. So many decisions as my only references are the sketches I did in life drawing, each one from a different vantage point in the studio so each one with different light source - and of course, done in graphite. So the lighting and the color are a conglomeration of imagination, whimsy, trial and error and past experience. Perhaps this is what painting is really all about. I am not displeased with this second day of painting this piece but I hope I can maintain my interest and stamina. Its a big painting and quite a challenge!

16 comments:

  1. Susan!
    Susan!
    Susan!
    You are one rocking, fantastic, talented, creative artist! And so much more!
    This piece is so very fine! One of your best!
    Almost brought me to tears, it is so good! So good!
    A joy to behold!
    I absolutely agree with you that this is what painting is about. The agony is so very worth the ecstasy!
    Bravo!
    Your very happy happy art buddy!
    Michael

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    1. Oh, Michael! So happy you like it and are so exuberant in your comments! You make me happy!

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  2. You've really created a challenge for yourself! I look forward to seeing it develop further. Your wonderful imagination will pull you through this piece, I have no doubt. Personally I would be so lost... Paint on dear friend!

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    1. It's always fun to experiment and try new things - I seem to do that a lot! We will see where this piece takes me but I am learning a lot from it for sure!

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  3. This is so interesting Susan! and it looks like a challenge to me!!...I love the limited use of color in this piece!!

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    1. Very much a challenge, Hilda - I am not sure how it will turn out though..................

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  4. This is a fascinating piece Susan! I LOVE the perspective of those big feet - they really do come out of the canvas! Amazing! :0)

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    1. Yes - those big feet captivated me too, Sandra! Its such fun to try and piece this together. Its almost like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle!

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  5. This is quite a side step for you! What a wonderful thing to do with all the life sketches you've been doing. When I first saw it, I thought "Nude Beach."

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    1. I guess I love a good solid challenge and this piece is definitely proving to be just that! Nude Beach! That is certainly a possibility!

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  6. What an interesting series of posts! I agree that painting from life is wonderful.
    I tried something a bit like your ambitious piece (though not nearly so ambitious). I combined a couple of poses on a single canvas; I painted one one week then added the second the next. As I think you discovered, rectifying the lighting from one figure to the other was a challenge.
    I'll be very interested to see where you take your arresting series of figures next.

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    1. The lighting, perspective, size of each figure as they are all foreshortened to some degree and recession into the distance - sigh - certainly a challenge!
      I am so excited to have found another weekly opportunity for life drawing! What a joy!

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  7. sleeping angels on a cloud, love it. Love the shadow color.

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    1. Sleeping Angels - oh, my! Thank you so much, Maike - they are coming along!

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  8. You go, Girl! I can't wait to see the final image on this, Susan.

    Working on something large, especially after doing mostly little ones, is hard for me too. Shifting gears to get my mind right is a huge challenge. It takes so much longer and I find that the mental and creative energy needed for the long haul are all-consuming. I'm in awe of painters who can create a large piece in a relatively short time, and those who keep the feel of a big painting as fresh as their smaller work.

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    1. Its interesting, Diana, I don't seem to want to go back to it again and so its sits on the floor waiting for me. I do believe it drained a lot out of me. Perhaps it will take me a while to build up my mental reserve before I can attack it again...

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Your comments are welcome and brighten my day!