The Studio is Clean

Between series, I have to clean the studio. It helps to clear my mind as well as the space to start a new project or series.

I spent some time outside this morning to plant some more seeds and listen to the birds.

I put together a flip book with more in-process photos. Would you be interested in seeing more of these?

http://www.flipsnack.com/7CAFB586AED/one-of-the-fifty-faces.html

A Short Video of the Fifty Faces

All the portraits are hung in the gallery. I have help to paint the back of the boards and get the hangers attached. Soon, I will be able to varnish all of them to bring them back to the original fresh colors.

I couldn't load the video on this blog. Please check my artist's page on FB to see it. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ezshwans-encaustic-paintings/132813546782502

I am delighted that I have a large portrait commission to start soon, It will be fun to work larger with the full figure.

Pictured is a painting from the series. "Her Journey" - a woman's journey to self-realization. I painted this early in the 1990's

"My God Has Been Too Small" oil and collage on board, 24" x 24"

Face #49

Tomorrow I will post the last face in this series. I am glad I cut it down to 50 faces rather than the original 100 I had planned. I haven't become tired of it. It has been an interesting challenge to keep the images fresh and not over worked and still capture a likeness. As always, the eyes are important to me. I like painting them and feel as if I am looking into the personality of my subject.

Face #45

Yesterday, my helper and I installed 45 faces in the gallery. Five more will go up next Tuesday when he returns.  I think I am finished with 2 more - I'll look at them later, so there are only 3 more to go. It is interesting to me that I do not feel burned out and still find each face fascinating, but I am happy that I decided to make only 50 rather than the original 100.

I have been asked if they are for sale. Yes, they are and can be removed after the show. (I will figure out the date soon) The price is $425 + shipping. I will do commissions if you want your portrait and I haven't been able to include it in this series. The price will be $550, for the same 10" x 10" painting. Of course, I offer larger portraits as well and they are priced by size.

I am pleased on how they look grouped together and I will post a photo later.

The first visitors came in the afternoon and they had fun posing with their portraits.

Portrait # 35 and my memoir

I finished face # 35 today and decided, for anyone interested, that I would offer the story of my life, "Fireworks at Dawn" a digital Kindle publication, for 99 cents for one week, starting tomorrow, May 13.  http://www.amazon.com/Artists-Memoir-Fireworks-Dawn-ebook/dp/B008G371SC/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426451248&sr=1-3&keywords=ezshwan+winding

Click on the link above to get to the book.

Here is the process of this portrait:

Thirty Three out of Fifty Faces

I bought more boards and have to paint them with black gesso. I then will have all the boards prepared.

I finished # 33 today and have 5 more started.

More people are asking to buy their portrait, and of course they are available for purchase at $425 U.S. plus shipping. They can be purchased before the exhibition in June. I can go ahead with the book just with the final photos.

Shelves are filling up with faces

I am surrounded by faces watching me while I work; all kinds of expressions, ages, and states of completion... It is rather like being with an extended family.

Face for today, April 27, 2015

I think this is the beginning of week 6 of my portrait project. I have several faces started.  I like to work on more than one at a time, so I don't get get fussy with the paint strokes. I have to let the paint dry a bit overnight, so I can continue the next day.

Free Portraits, March 31

Although I am posting one portrait everyday, I can not complete a portrait in just one day. I try to start a few new ones each day and let them dry overnight before I continue. Usually after the 3rd day of work, I am finished; hopefully before I over work them.

Sunday's painting progress

My show is up

My part of the show is hung. The gallery is wonderful. Right in the center of town. It is very old, and I find it charming. We had crowds of people in the gallery yesterday, I think people like to see a work in progress. One young Mexican woman found price errors on a couple of tags. I did not have enough zeros for the peso exchange. The dollar is so high right now that the peso price looks huge.

Cynthia has many small pieces for her room. She had 2 men working most of the day yesterday getting nails into the ancient walls; so today she can hang her work.

Here are some shots of my placement.

contemporary encasutic on very old walls

I love the arches and try to visualize what this building looked like 400 years ago

setting up in Cynthia's room

view from the front door

first room - still needs some lighting changes

This series is "Into the Silence, oil and encasutic"

encasutic/ mixed media with tranfers