A Zorn Palette Portrait and a New Model

 "Jennifer"

12 x 9 inches, oil on canvas

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 It felt so great to be back in front of a live model this week, after the Art Center's spring break and my trip to OKC. I love this young woman's face - she has the most transparent green eyes and a nose that reminds me, pleasantly, of my sister's.

 

....And just to prove how obsessed I am with facial likeness:

I truly wish I could be a little more obsessed with composition sometimes!

Life In The Gray

 "In the Gray"

20 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

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Things in life aren't black and white (though you do need to check your values sometimes). Is your painting good or bad? Are you talented or not? Are you successful or a failure? These aren't absolutes - we all fall across a spectrum - and change is always possible. That's life in the gray.

Beware, My Pretties

 "Dakota"

16 x 20 inches, oil on canvas

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Have you ever met someone and been captivated by their face right away? From the moment I saw Dakota's mysterious eyes and gorgeous slender fingers, I knew she'd be a fantastic portrait subject - not to mention her nose, which is truly distinctive and elegant. These are the things artists are thinking when they meet you, folks: you may believe they're enjoying your pleasant conversation, but really they're sizing you up! 

So beware, my pretties, if we ever meet: you just might end up motionless on my couch for several hours!

(Here's a work-in-progress:)

Strange Habits, Exposed.

 

"Summer Skin"

18 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

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My in-progress pictures, below, expose one of my many strange painting habits: wiping my brush on the "background" area of the canvas while I'm working on the figure. Do other people do this? I've had to explain what "those marks" are several times recently - people must think I'm actually doing something over there....

To find out if maybe I am actually doing something, I tried to keep a little of the randomness in the background as I finished it up.

P.S. This was painted with a Zorn palette! Because it was hot, and squeezing multiple paint tubes is a lot of work. The end.

A Nude and an Invitation

 

"Leaning on Her Elbow"

11 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

$450

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What a pose! So fun. I really started this one off lively - as you can see below. I think I liked the face more before I smoothed out that quick sketchy energy, but the blendiness does give her some serenity. 

I don't know how come this small town has so amazing models, but they are all such pros. Could you hold that position for 45 minutes without screaming? Me neither!

I promised you an invitation, and now I will deliver: 

It's an open house all evening long, in celebration of my new Gallery! Food, drink, and lots of artists. What could be better on a Summer Saturday?

My Avatar, the Sequel

 

"Ali in Stripes"

11 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

$250

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I haven't seen this model, Ali, except for random sightings around town - this is a small place we live in after all - since last May. And I wasn't the only one happy to see her this morning! Some of us were giddy. (Lol, Joy).

I've had such success painting Ali in the past that her likeness has been my online avatar and another has been on my business cards for the past year.

 I loved the stripes.

But then, I've been known to rock a few myself, from time to time. 

via Instagram

All's Well That Ends Well

"Legs Elegantly Crossed"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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This one started well. At least, I felt great. It had been a while since I'd painted, but my first strokes felt confident and successful. And they weren't. 

On the left, you see my toned canvas and initial sketch, moving from orange to alizarin to purple. Should have taken two steps back and seen that the head was too big, but moved on instead. I liked what I'd done with the face, but I gritted my teeth and decided I wanted to keep the whole body on the canvas. So it was off with her head. 

Very satisfying.

What I don't have pictures to show you is that shortly after repainting the head, I scraped the body down and repainted it, too.

All in all, it was a laborious night - but when I got home, I decided I liked the result. With a little tweaking today, I think I might love it. It's the journey, guys. And sometimes the end results are good too.

Someone took me up on it!

 

"Green Scarf, Green Eyes"

8 x 10 inches

oil on canvas

$350

click to buy

Remember when I threw myself at you put out a call for portrait subjects a few weeks ago? And the crickets chirped very loudly? ...Well, someone finally took me up on my offer, and in lieu of wine (which I was more than willing to consider, nevermind that it was 9:30 am) all she demanded was a little online art-selling chat. As some of you know, there's not much I love to gush about more than Etsy --- Daily Paintworks being a close second. She got an earful. I got to hear all about her work in the Flemish masters' painting method and her continuing efforts to remove all petroleum products from her studio. AND I made my second painting of the week with "Green" in the title. 

It was a good day. Thanks, Sarah!

The talented Sarah Ciampa, with her portrait, by me. Also Sarah. Because it's the best name there is.

My Valentine's Date

 "The Pale Pink Dress" 

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

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Below is my progress, from one to three hours. For some reason, I didn't take a "full-body" shot the first hour, but I was having problems with the legs at that point, so it was probably subconscious.

At the halfway point, I checked my values using a photo-editor on my phone. I find this extremely helpful and usually do it two or three times during a sitting. The app I have is called Camera+, but there are a ton out there that do the same thing.

 As I was organizing my thoughts before writing this post, it occurred to me that I spent last Valentine's Day painting this very same model! She's a total pro, and I've been lucky to paint her (ten million times.) Thank you, Miranda!

"The White Shawl" female nude figure painting figurative art

 

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

$200

click to buy

One of my resolutions for this year was to do something about the horrible cell phone pictures I've been posting on Facebook and Twitter. So, I did. With my new-and-improved photo technology, there should be lots of quality in-progress shots (like this one) ahead!

I'm pleased with this little painting. I tried to keep in mind some of the things I liked about this one while I was working, and a couple good suggestions from my friend Farley helped me overcome some drawing issues I was having early on.

"The Leopard-Print Bra" female figure painting portrait art oil painting

 

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

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I painted this last night while listening to the debate, and you're welcome for not making a #bindersfullofwomen joke about my figure painting archive.

(but if you're looking for a good one...)

"Red Lipstick" woman girl portrait painting fine art

 

12 x 12"

oil on canvas

$325

purchase from my Etsy shop

This is the last time you'll be seeing this model for a while - she's heading off traveling for several months. I thought I'd better take a shot at her tattoos, since in the dozen odd times I've painted her, I have yet to include them. Hence, the vague green splotch above her wrist, and squiggly greenish/bluish lines near her shoulder. Apparently, her face isn't the only thing I aged at least a decade in this portrait!

"Miranda, July" nude female figure painting portrait boudoir art

 

11 x 14"

oil on canvas

$250

purchase

Not to be confused with Miranda July! (But let's see what it does for my search keywords). I posted a work-in-progress picture here.