Suffering No Mathematical Inconsistencies

I finally had some time to paint today and decided to bring this one to completion. Oil on linen 18x24.

New Gallery for the New Year!

I have just spent the last few days in a frenzy trying to get paintings framed and shipped for my new gallery space at the Wellington Equestrian Gallery in West Palm Beach, Florida. I am still waiting for a few more frames to be delivered but will ship out this majority in the next few days. I am so excited! What a lovely way to sweep in to the end of the year! Sadly, with guests here over the Thanksgiving holiday and with the time spent framing, I have not done much painting. But now I am so eager to get back to the easel!

Steeplechase - Untitled

Untitled as of now, this is what I have been working on the past few days. It is not finished - still needs some fine tuning but I may put it aside for a while. It is 18x24 oil on linen.

Ballerina 25

I knew I wanted to do something a little different, a bit more abstract, and I let the paiint take me whereever it wanted to go with this portrait. Focusing more on value, I let the color just happen. It was an interesting experiment and I am not unhappy with the result although I don't think the photo truly captures the painting. This one is 14x18 - oil on linen.

A Delicate Beginning to Winter Weather

Snug in the studio with a few recent acquaintances as the snow gently fell outside.

Less than an inch - really just a dusting.

 

 

Ballerina 24

 

Ballerina 24 is just coming undone! She is falling to pieces and is in a state of complete disarray after dealing with Hurricane Sandy and the Election. I do think she needs a long vacation. Oil on linen panel 24x18

Winter is on the Way

Three elegant mule deer on our back mountainside this morning - much earlier in the season than last year. Does this mean we will have a snowier winter? I hope so as I love winter and love snow and am well prepared! I know, I know - most people think I am crazy but fall and winter are my favorite times of year! :)

Gravitational Considerations

Oil on linen panel - 22x28. I have been doing some traveling lately and had little time to paint. Back at the easel now. As always, many thanks for stopping by my blog!

Granddaughters of Marc Chagall

 

Oooohhhh - I am so done with this. I believe I painted the second face 4 times before I was satisfied. Finally, finally, finally I think I have a good likeness. In this photograph, the values appear different in the two faces because the paint is wet on one and dry on the other. Once the painting dries competely, I generally buff the surface with a thin coat of Winsor and Newton Liquin. It brings out the depths of the darks beautifully and dries to a low sheen finish.  I will try to to remember to take another photo when I do that. This painting is 14x18 oil on linen board - my favorite support.

Here is the close up of the second portrait. I must admit, this project exhausted me!

Last Life Session

 It seems I always place the 40 minute supine pose at the top of my Thursday posts as it is generally the one I like best for some reason. It could be that I am feeling warmed up and more confident by the time we get to the third pose or that I love the reclining viewpoints the most. All drawings were done in ebony pencil on smooth blue paper provided by the instructor.

 

The model liked this effort as she felt I captured a good likeness of her, however, I found this one the most difficult as the landscape of backs always provide a challenge for me.

This standing pose was 20 minutes and I am most happy with the upper body and mid section. I didn't have time to pay much attention to the drape she was holding.

Fellow blogger and artist John Simlett got me thinking about Winston Churchill lately and  then I happened upon this quote from Sir Winston:
"The way to be happy is to find something that requires the kind of perfection that's impossible to achieve and spend the rest of your life trying to achieve it."

That about sums up this art endeavor for me quite succinctly and I hope you are all as happy on your artistic journey as I am on mine!

Double Portrait

Working on a double portrait and the left half came along more quickly than the right. I actually had to wipe off the other face about half way through as I had lost the likeness. She will wait for another day but I thought I would show you the surviving half. Painting an open smile with teeth is quite the challenge and I may subdue these a bit more before all is said and done.

Another Ballerina Steeplechase Attempt

My ballerinas are certainly broadening their horizons and skillsets. 20x16 oil on canvas panel.

If This is Thursday it Must be LIFE!

 

 Alejandro, our model from a few sessions ago, returned for an encore today. This was the 45 minute pose and my goal was not only to focus on the extreme foreshortening but to show how relaxed the muscles were and how langorous was the model. Indeed, I think he fell asleep during this pose! The paper was provided by the instructor - it was a heavy weight, smooth pale gray paper with a bit of blue rag in it. I found I liked it alot.

 

For the seated pose, all his muscles seemed to bunch up and become much more prominent. This was my attempt at the 40 minute pose on a thin, pale ocher colored paper.

 

The standing pose had me seated and slightly looking upward at him. This was only 20 minutes and drawn in ebony pencil on the pale gray rag paper. Next week is the last class in this session and I will definitely miss it - these past 5 weeks have flown by!

 

 Thanks for looking and, as always, I very much enjoy reading your thoughts and comments.

Alex Katz - Portrait Practise

Today my goal was to do a loose, expressive portrait and, as the contemporary painter Alex Katz is having a grand exhibit this month, I thought I would try my hand at him. I admit that I am not a big fan of his paintings but I study them nonetheless and have found much to admire in his large scale, interesting compositions and controlled use of color. This alla prima portrait is 16x12 oil on canvas board. It feels finished at this stage even though the clothing remains unpainted. I have included a close up of a portion of the face so the brushwork is more apparent.
Alex Katz was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1927 and his prolific career spans an incredible six decades. He currently has a major exhibition at Turner Contemporary which brings together a selection of his works from the 1950s to now, including paintings, collages and a 3D cut-out.

Life!

 

Alejandro was the model at life session this morning - very muscular and a lot of fun to draw.  I chose a position at the head for this prone foreshortened drawing.  Black ebony pencil and white charcoal on brown wrapping paper - about 18 x20 and 40 minutes.

The seated 40 minute pose was just as challenging! In any case, I am pleased with this mornings efforts. Unfortunately, I will miss next week's session as I will be out of town :(  My feeling is that these life sessions are invaluable in providing me with a real feeling for how flesh clings to the skeletal structure and accomodates itself with each unique position.  I have aways felt that there is no substitue for good drawing skills and life drawing is the best way to hone them.
Your comments and thoughts are always greatly appreciated!

The Exotic Nature of Probablity

Oil on linen 24 x 18

Polo Study - Once Again

Polo pony study on brown paper. I like how the rider turned out in this quick study.

Polo - Oil Study on Brown Paper

Once again using brown paper as my practise medium for oil painting. 18x24

Life Drawing - Thursday Morning

 

Cyndi was our wonderfully curvacious model in life drawing this morning. This was 40 miniutes on brown paper using black ebony pencil and white charcoal pencil for highlights.

 

About 40 minutes on newsprint. Something tells me I should invest in more expensive paper for these classes. The ripples in the paper are much more apparent in the photograph than they are when drawing.

This was the firt drawing - the warm up. About 20 minutes on newsprint. I don't have her weight distribution correctly in this and her upper hand went off the paper. Each drawing is about 18x24.

Quick Portrait Study

What can I say? More experimentation - this time with only 4 colors. I used Venetian Red, Ivory Black, Ultramarine Blue and Titanium White. It certainly has a Halloweenish feeling - I guess that is appropriate as our nights are very cool and Autumn is in the air!