Morgan and Picasso

Morgan, almost 8 / oil on linen board, 12 x 12

Morgan is the very beautiful and accomplished 8 year old granddaughter of my cousin Audre. I painted this casual portrait of her as a surprise  Christmas gift. Morgans parents were very happy and rewarded  me with this photo of the painting nestled atop their mantle on Christmas day.

Generally speaking (and after seeing numerous cubist paintings at various museums), I am not a big fan of cubism but I am a big fan of Picasso's early work - he was such a talented and unique painter even then. Recently, after watching the Genius  television series on the life of Picasso, I purchased a used copy of the 1980 catalogue from the Picasso retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. It is a very comprehensive chronology of his work and I have spent many long hours pouring through it and learning from him. Many of the photos are in black and white but there are some fascinating color plates as well.

Pablo Picasso A Retrospective 1980

Child Holding a Dove 1901 and Self Portrait 1901

Woman in Blue 1901

Trying my hand at a Picasso and attempting to understand and emulate his fearless brushwork, I painted this little copy of a vibrant portrait he did in Paris in 1901

Portrait of Bibi la Puree after Picasso / oil on cardboard 12 x 9