Cold Wax and Oil

I made 6 more portraits, but not for the show. They are cold wax and oil. A very different process. I hadn't worked in cold wax for ages and I had to re-think the process. I haven't seen many (or any) portraits done in cold wax and oil, just abstracts.
If you know of any artists working figuratively in this medium, please let me know.

The rest of this day, I will be working in the studio, cleaning and arranging for the show on Sunday. NO painting. I need a break.

Both Cynthia (Hamilton) and I will have our studios open Sunday and there will be a variety of work, sizes, techniques and prices along with champagne and pop corn

April 24, 2015, Fifty Faces Continues

A Change of Plans

The other night, over dinner, my daughter suggested that I make 50 portraits rather than 100. She said, "I like the sound of 'Fifty Faces." I had to agree. This is the start of the 5th week of work on the project and I have 21 faces completed, and 6 in the beginning stages.

I still plan to have an exhibition in my home gallery of the finished faces and publish a book. The portraits till be available for purchase for $425 + shipping. This is less than half of my usual price.

People have been sending me photos and some have been wonderful and many others I can't use because they are too small, too cloudy, no contrast or facial details. I can not interpret a face in paint that I can not see clearly.

Here are a couple of photos that are good examples of what I can use.

Seeing errors though a camera

When I think a face is finished, I always photograph it. It is interesting to me that by looking at the photo, I can see if there are errors, or something needs to be changed. It proves my theory that the eye stops seeing the details after some time in the studio. The same thing works when I check the paintings first thing in the morning. I almost immediately see what needs to be changed.

If you want to send your photos, please continue. I have a pile of face photos, but I am looking for more. I go through the pile each day and decide what face I want to start that morning.

Portrait Project April 16th

I've realized that working 7 hours a day in the studio is just too much for me. I have to force myself to stop, but if I don't, I am really tired and notice that my legs and feet are hurting. Now, I have decided to stop at 3 pm to do other things, like study Spanish, study my ecommerce classes, work on my website, etc. Maybe even go to town and meet a friend. It is hard to get out of the studio, but 5 hours a days seems to be the right amount of time for painting.

Today's posting. I think this is as far as I want to go on this painting. I will put it aside and look at it in a couple of days.

Working on 6 Paintings

I took the morning off yesterday to go to the Tuesday market with my daughter and a neighbor. I bought 2 pair of pants - one with a Patagonia label, perfect for travel and a perfect fit. The price for each equalled $2 U.S. I also bought 4 blouses, 3 lovely linen and one a new studio shirt. (My old one was even too paint covered for me) We always start our day at the market with fresh juice or a green drink; look at the clothes; buy whatever else on our list for the day; for me it was more pots for my vegetables; my daughter Cynthia got a new cover for her iPad mini; fresh vegetables and fruit and then we end our market adventure with fantastic quesadillas.

We didn't get home until about 1:30, so I got a late start in the studio. I was able to continue working on 6 faces. Hopefully, I'll get a couple finished today. Here they are:

The Beginng of Week 4 of the Portrait Project

I appreciate all the photos that people are sending to me. It seems to be time to specify what I am looking for again. No babies, small children, grinning smiles, small, or cloudy snapshots with lots of background. I will choose the faces that have interesting character and clear details.

 

 

Today's portrait

I appreciate all the photos that people are sending to me. It seems to be time to specify what I am looking for again. No babies, small children, grinning smiles, small, or cloudy snapshots with lots of background. I will choose the faces that have interesting character and clear details.

These faces are not painted in one day. I take at least 3 days on each portrait, and I stopped in time with this one

Portrait Project, the start of week 3

Here is a face from a friend that I haven't seen in many years. It is wonderful how this project is connecting and re-connecting me with friends, old and new and some people that I will probably never meet.

If you would like your image to be included in this project, please send me a photo of a close up of your face. Not an image with a lot of background. If I can't clearly see the details of your face, I can not paint it. I can't paint your eyes if they are covered with dark glasses. No babies or pets. Since these are free portraits, I will choose which ones to use and how they will be interpreted. Thanks for all your interest and support.