Jen Reclining

14 x 18 oil on Ampersand board

Here is what I got so far from a 45 minute pose by the model Jen last night at AS/MS (Art Show/Model Show) painting group.  The colors here are adjusted on Photoshop but still aren't accurate.  The blues aren't that iridescent and underneath there is an overall much more warm gold cast coming through. (the orange-y color on her chest is actually in the background of the entire painting)  The last few weeks I've been taking pictures with my phone since my camera died, and it always dulls the colors like crazy and I have to try and bring them back with Photoshop.  I'm about to resolve the camera situation but until then I have to adjust as I can. Anyway I came away with three other smallish paintings and was happy with 75% of what I did.  The group is now going to have clothed sessions instead of nude since their landlord requested that.  That's fine by me; I like the challenge of painting fabric and furniture, and it adds color variety.  This group usually has mainly one light source, which is great for helping me paint the volumes more accurately.  My other painting group uses light from all sides and you can see from the portrait in progress below how it minimizes shadows so I see it all as more washed out.  Hmmm, I'll just need to adjust my vision for the differences I guess.
Thank you for stopping by to see what I've got going.

Portrait of Jayne in Progress

24 x 24 oil on stretched linen
In our Friday painting group most of us started over on our portraits of Jayne today.  This was to be the second of three days we would all work on them.  I had a side view last week and was painting on such a small board that I got frustrated -- I don't like making tiny strokes but especially not on a figurative piece.  Today Anne Nelson Sweat and I switched places so she had a more 3/4 view and I had this more frontal angle; we were both happier with today's perspectives.  At this stage the values and colors are too close so next week I intend to increase the value contrast as well as refine the arms and hands.  I left the painting at Anne's house so I wouldn't alter it without looking at the model.  She is young and I will need to give her face more softness and less angularity.

Sunny Nap

6.5 x 6.5 oil on cradled hardboard
This week I've had my easel set up in the kitchen with a bunch of small prepared boards.  I thought it would be fun to paint my rabbit whenever I see him sitting still or asleep and this is one I did today.  He had positioned himself right under a sunny window, snuggled up alongside his favorite stuffed animal Shamu. I could see the golden sunlight coming through and illuminating his ear, and the painting shows that in real life but didn't come out in this photo.   He looked so warm and blissful and it was like meditation to paint him napping.  It reminded me of having a young baby the way we were tiptoeing around trying to not wake him up -- funny.  I have starts on about seven other paintings of him in various poses and I plan to get them all more finished as I find him posing each way for me again. I'm also working on a portrait in group sessions with some other artist friends the next couple of weeks so this will keep me on my painting toes between times.