Light and Shadows With a Smile

Bring out the brushes. One to be exact. I did some very loose portrait studies on paper in acrylic. I limited myself to one big flat brush. These were done in one sitting. The light and shadow colors play off of each other here. The light was coming from the right side so I put in dark blue on the left. It gives the composition more interest and balance. I think a bundle of books could be written on skin colors. Some artists are a little secretive about their color formulas. Mine are warm because she is a "Sunny" person!

Links to more of my work.



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Watercolor Self Portrait

If our lives are like a field I have many furrows on my self portraits.  But then sheet music has lines so surely our portraits can be like music which is hidden between the lines and above and beyond them as well. I did this today on white watercolor paper and then digitally gave it a background color. I would gladly paint anyone else but myself. The good points are that the model is free. If I can use the word "model" and my name in a sentence is questionable.

Learning and getting comfortable painting my self portraits is my job this week. Hopefully your week is just as fun.

More of my art can be seen on Saatchi Art

Children's Portraits in Progress

                                                                     Portrait Progress

I was able to work on this large portrait for another 45 minutes. I chose to take the classical portrait route with brushes and not a palette knife thus far. It needs more work but I wanted to show this childrens portrait painting in progress. This is a section of it and it's pretty detailed.

The reason I chose to paint this with brushes has it's reasons.

1. I read an editorial on an art site that said people who proclaim they are self taught artists and have not been to art school never paint hands. In essence the artist was saying we can't paint a classical portrait with hands in the painting or paint people for that matter either. Yes, this portrait has both hands in it. You will see the unveiling of the complete portrait.

2. As an artist it's good to show your artistic ability with any tool. I read of one Old Master's painting that had his fingerprints all over in the painting. They actually counted them. Yes.

3. It's a large painting and it would use a little less paint with brushes.

4. Back to number one all over again..

I love how the sun rays dance around in this painting. There is so many reflections bouncing off every which way.

To be continued.

 

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Childrens Portraits - Creative Process

Behind the scenes I am diligently working. This portrait I started today. I've had many interruptions, but that is fine each time I come back I have a few more questions for myself. Some answers are clear and some a bit fuzzy. The creative process is an open zone to ideas. This one I started with a big brush and it's a larger painting on canvas. Am I  going to use brushes to complete or just to get some color and composition on the canvas? That's one of the fuzzy questions...and it better get clear as I'm at the intersection and people will start hollering if I don't proceed in one direction or the other.  It is my choice though as I'm the artist. So I deliberate with luxury and a lemonade. I try to focus on the end result, and the possibilities keep popping up.

Every day we are presented with questions and possibilities and we race through them  with, "Yes," and "No," and "Someday," or "Never."  We are almost computerized, but a painting is a work of passion and when it comes to love, we don't want to mess up. Possibly I will show you much progress tomorrow on this painting. For now I will have another glass of lemonade (it's finally wonderfully warm here) and think about the background. Do I want it full to the brim or rather simple? Decisions. Decisions. I really love the creative process at this moment.

Do check out some of my original paintings paintings for sale at Saatchi Art.  

If you want to see photographs of paintings and very little talking you can visit my Google Chrome posts 

Enjoy!

Miss Kolden Impressionist Painting

                                                                       
                                                                       "Miss Kolden"
                                                                      Masonite Board
                                                                       For sale here.

There is something peaceful about painting. I hope that is one thing that might show up in my paintings.

I've noticed in my portraits, this one included, that the eyes never look directly at the viewer. My goal is to make them look slightly relaxed and approachable.  I say, "Slightly." I also mean, "amused, thinking, shy, or busy."

Today it was a delicious temperature,  in the 70's. It made me wonder how these ladies in the1800's and early 1900's wore all of these long sleeves and long dresses, etc. in the summer months? And happily cooked over a wood stove. One thing we know. they probably weren't cold. Whew!

The garden will start popping open  flowers like popcorn after a few warm days. I can't wait to paint some of the gems. Hopefully their happy faces will be obliged.