Finished today

It was good t get back into the studio early today. I had been absent for a couple of days taking take of other stuff. If only I didn't have to eat, there would be no shopping, cooking and doing dishes.

I am thinking of offering a class. "Painting Portraits from Photographs". Do you think that there would be enough interest to start that live in the studio? I already have 10 online classes for drawing and painting faces. https://vimeo.com/ondemand/21068

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.

Please keep sending photos 

I am still getting photos that are too small and without enough details.

The Challenge of Painting a Woman's Face.

I have been painting women for the past 25 years. I love painting women; but with this portrait project, I am finding that I have been restraining my bold painting on the female faces. This portraits are not commissions; no one is paying for them and I should be able to express my style without hesitancy. I find it much easier to freely paint the male faces.

Years ago I painted mostly men, since my theme for 12 years was jazz musicians. Most of the subjects were men that I met because of my late husband, Kai Winding, who was a part of "The Giants of Jazz". I went with him to recording sessions, jazz clubs and jazz festivals.` I always carried my sketch pad. Every summer for years, I exhibited my paintings of the jazz greats at the Nice, France jazz festival.

I am fascinated with all faces and that is why I am working on this project. I also want to get over my seeming indecisivness with the women's faces.

I went back to a previous published portrait of a lovely woman and reworked it to loosen it.

I am more satisfied with it now.

                            Below is the process of another female face. I think they are getting easier.

Some days it is a struggle, Portrait Project

The past couple of days I haven't had as much fun in the studio. I get that clutch in the solar plexus when I look at the days work and realize that the likeness is not right. I try to tell myself that it doesn't matter, but that is just not my nature. I want the faces to be strong, with powerful brush strokes, but I have been softening the under painting with this child's face and a couple of the women's faces.

I will work in the garden a bit today, now that summer came to San Miguel with a sudden blast of very warm air. My vegetables in pots are doing well, and I love going out the front door to "harvest"

Cynthia, my daughter, is coming home tonight after being in San Francisco for 2 months and her dog is coming back this morning from doggy camp after being gone for 37 days and he will need a bath.

Perhaps, after that break, maybe things will look better in the studio.

New Portrati, April 1, 2015

I spent too many hours in the studio yesterday and I know better. 5 hours of work is about right for me, but I couldn't make myself stop and worked 7 hours. I tell my students that the eye stops seeing accurately after one hour. If only I would listen to myself.

I completely overworked a couple of faces. The best thing I can do is put them aside and start some new ones.

Here is one that is finished, or maybe it is not. I'll put it out of sight and take a look in a couple of days.

Posting 6, Portrait Project, the process

Painting Portraits, My Project -Day 5