Alla Prima Portrait Sketch; Limited Palette Workshop Demo

 

 "Sketch of A."

approx 8x11 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

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This month marks two years since my first portrait painting workshop. Amazing how time flies! And although I've painted this model quite a few times, it's always nice to revisit a familiar face - especially one with such lovely coloring. I've got pinks, peaches, greens, lavenders, and orangey-browns in those flesh tones - all mixed from three tubes of paint! 

My work-in-progress shows how I painted the face out beyond the contour lines, and then re-drew that edge with the darks in the hair. I also painted the setting of the eye before putting too much detail into the eye itself. 

And the ear - well, I got that on there early and then left it alone, because this.

Watching the Sun

 "Watching the Sun"

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

I had a beautiful Fourth of July, painting a model en plein air at Eugene's big summer arts festival. Longtime readers may remember me doing this before - it's become a yearly tradition that I really look forward to! Here is my post from 2013 - and here is last year's.

My painting with the model, basking in the sun:

My friend Heather joined me this year - it's always fun to have company - and someone to help you wrestle around with your umbrella in the wind!

Here's my work-in-progress. I had to get that face in first! You can see me starting to test out my color mixes by smearing them on with a palette knife, over her left shoulder:

Her Thoughts Elsewhere

 "Her Thoughts Elsewhere"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

I've been painting this model, Miranda, for many years now. In fact, she was the first model I ever painted in Eugene - my first nude model since the MICA years. I never posted that painting online. When I made it, I wasn't even sure that figure painting was going to be a real part of my "work." 

Well, it was.

And in the name of see-how-far-I've-come, I'm finally going to post it:

"Seated Nude, Red"

16 x 20 inches, oil on canvas

January, 2011

Funnily, these are the only two unsold paintings of Miranda that I have: the first one and the most recent. 

 Here's a work-in-progress on the new one:

Teaching The Figure

 "Nude with a Pear"

11 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

workshop demo price: $200

Available here

My Limited Palette Figure Painting workshop happened last weekend, here in Eugene. This was kind of a trial run for me - I've taught portrait several times, but never the nude figure - and I can humbly report that it went very well!  

On Friday evening I did a demo, which was open to the public. A few students of mine from other classes and private lessons joined the workshop attendees to watch.

The next morning, we started off with 4-value paintings. Two light flesh tones, and two dark ones to model the whole form. See? It can be done! And it's a great way to start a painting by working from the general (large shapes of value) to the specific (small anatomical details).

My demo of the 4-value exercise. 9x12" oil on Arches oil paper

Here is the progression of my demo from the second day. I can hear you thinking, 'All these demos, when did the students have time to paint?' They didn't watch the whole time - I just used this piece to demonstrate certain phases of the process. 

Believe me, much painting was done by my students.... 

Incredible painting!

 

I have two more workshops just like this one still to come in 2016 - one in September in Malibu, CA, and one in December in Eugene. Join me!

La Belle Muse

"Belle"

12 x 24 inches, oil on canvas

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I painted this with....you guessed it! The Zorn palette. Which I believe I will henceforth be calling the Sedwick palette. No, just kidding. 

Cadmium red, yellow ocher, and ivory black - look how beautiful!

I'll be teaching a workshop on this method of figure painting May 28th and 29th, in Eugene. There will also be a two-hour demo on Friday evening, which is free for workshop students, but anyone can attend.  Details on that can be found here.

Looking Left

"Looking Left"

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

$500

Available here

A new figure painting, from life, using a fairly limited palette - mostly burnt sienna, yellow ocher, alizarin crimson, cobalt blue, and white. The last time I painted this model, Hannah, was about a year ago.

Here is a work-in-progress photo. The color looks really different from picture to picture - that's caused by taking them in different lighting situations. The final photo is closest to the actual colors of the painting. 

Looking Inward

 "Looking Inward"

12x16 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

My newest nude, painted from a live model. Here's a progression:

Medusa

 

 "Medusa"

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

$500

Click to buy

 I had a LOT of fun painting this hair - can you tell? Painting it, or not painting it - as I left some spots of golden underpainting peeking through for highlights.

I don't tone my canvas when I paint with the Zorn palette - so the face and body were painted directly onto a white ground. You can see below that I did tone the background before painting the bluish gray over it, so I could have that warmth underneath.

"Dark Gaze" A Zorn Palette Nude

 "Dark Gaze"

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

Summer is coming to an end, and Tuesday night figure painting sessions at Maude Kerns Art Center are back! Anyone can attend: 6-9 pm, drop-in fee of $11. We've got a great group of artists, and plenty of room for more. All media welcome.

Plein Air Figure on the Fourth

 "Blue Parasol"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

Every Fourth of July weekend, Eugene holds an amazing art festival. My friend Farley and I got to paint there two years ago, and we were honored to be able to do it again this year! 

We got some very inquisitive spectators:

 One of the best parts of the day was working with our gorgeous model Tahni, who's been in Sweden for the past year! You may recognize her from such paintings as this and this.....

 Here's my work-in-progress:

Hope you had an excellent Fourth of July too!

A New Zorn Palette Portrait

 "Alexa"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

Click to buy

This was one of those paintings that practically fall off the brush. I especially enjoyed painting those eyes! I love how the subtle topography of her face demanded really controlled value shifts across the flesh tones. 

You can see a photo of the model with her portrait on Facebook.

Saying More With Less...And What I'm Up To This Weekend

"Hannah"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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Here is a nude from several weeks ago, painted with....you guessed it - the Zorn palette! I tried really hard not to overwork any part of this painting - often it's more difficult to say more with less than to take an area and work in every little detail. I'm extremely pleased with the variety of flesh tones happening in this one.

Here's an in-progress shot, on Facebook. You can see how small tweaks to the face make a huge difference in expression.

I'm in Oklahoma City this weekend, teaching a still life workshop at The Conservatory for Classical Art. You can follow my adventures on Facebook and Instagram.

Two Portrait Demos

 

 "Maggie"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

Click to buy

Here are my two demos from the last round of Zorn Palette Portrait at Oregon Art Supply. They each took about two hours to complete. Here's a roundup of the previous session.

If you'd like to explore this uniquely-portrait-suited palette, I've got a TWO DAY Zorn workshop coming up May 2nd & 3rd. You can read all the info here.

"Lindsey With Earrings"

11 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

Click to buy

Thanks for looking!

My First Pregnant Model

"Radiance"

18 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

 

 I've wanted to paint a pregnant model ever since I fell in love with Alice Neel's work, back in college. I don't really paint like Neel, but I'm inspired by the frankness with which she sees her subjects - and the fearlessness of her paint handling. She obviously had zero fear of a blank canvas!

I've painted this woman many times, but this is the first time during her pregnancy. It's true what they say - and I witnessed this in myself when I was pregnant - there's a radiance that comes with the territory. I hope I captured just a little of it.

Red Reverie

 "Red Reverie"

14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas

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For this painting, I used a limited palette of Cadmium Red, Viridian, Yellow Ocher, and White. Here's how my palette looked at the end of the three-hour session:

 What a mess!

And here's my work-in-progress:

Limited Palette Love

 

 "Triangle Pose"

14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas

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For this piece, I used a palette of Cadmium Red, Viridian, Hansa Yellow, and Yellow Ocher. I think of that either as a straight up complementary Red-Green setup, with yellow thrown in because you can't do flesh tones without it - or as a three-primaries palette, with red, yellow, and Viridian green as a stand-in for blue.

Cadmium Red and Viridian mix some beautiful pinks and lavenders, which I might never have fully explored if I hadn't tried this palette combo.

There are so many reasons to try painting with a limited palette...but my number one favorite? It saves me from having to track down all 11 or 12 of my normal colors when I'm rushing out the door on Tuesday nights!

A Figurative Sketch, a One Dollar Auction, and a Calendar!

 

 "The Red Wrap"

16 x 12 inches, oil on paper

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Well, folks, there are still some places where one can work from the nude here in Eugene (Go here to read all about our recent local arts-scandal), and I am proud to be a part of one! This was painted last night at Maude Kerns Art Center's weekly open studio session. All media are welcome, though Tuesday nights' attendees are mostly oil painters.

This was completed in three 45 minute sittings, using (what else?) a Zorn palette.

In other news, my 2015 Calendar is out! All still life, no nudes - so totally suitable for offices, cubicles, kitchens, your mother-in-law's Christmas stocking, etc......Check it out!

Zorn Gets Glamorous

 

"Sadie"

14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas

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One of the best ways to get to know somebody better is to have them sit for you! I've been admiring Sadie's unique look since I met her last year, and finally got up the nerve to ask her to model! I enjoyed chatting with her while I painted, even if it did make her mouth difficult to capture. :)

I used a Zorn palette - that's Cadmium red, YellowOcher, Ivory Black and white only. It's amazing what you can do with so little.

I'll be taking my Zorn palette show on the road this weekend, with a three-day portrait workshop at Oregon Art Supply. It starts tomorrow, so stay tuned for updates!

(Spoiler alert: Sadie will be modeling for the class on Sunday!)

And yes, I'll be teaching this workshop again before the end of the year, if there's demand - so call Oregon Art Supply and let them know you're interested (if you are)!

Lying Awake

 "Lying Awake"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$350

Click to buy

Here's another painting of this lovely model. It's intimidating to paint a face sideways, so I just treated it like I'd treat any scary subject: as shapes, colors, and values, rather than as a face (or a glass bottle, folds of cloth, water....)