Carried away

I probably went a little too far, too soon on this face today, but it is close to what I'm looking for. I think. Her hair is a little big, though.

 

All Day

    I've been fussing away at this guy's face for a while now. In the session before this one, I pretty much painted out the whole thing. After about three sessions today, this is where he is. He looks much gentler now. This is half paint and half pastel. I had to get the blue out again. And a little bit of black. But now, I think I like him. Pretty much.

Got out the big brush

Well, tonight I got tired of seeing all that blue skin, so I got out the big brush and put a really thin wash of the beginning under layers of their skin. That light blotch on the girl's jaw is a good example of what happens when you are too impatient to let the first wash dry before the next one is applied. I've been here many times. It was my cue to quit for the night.

    Honestly, I really wish I hadn't started the girl's face, yet. I'm not happy with it, and now I'll probably dream about it all night. Maybe it'll help me fix it in the morning.

    Anyway, while I was working, the memory of the painting below came back to me because of the robot hands and their similarity to the man's hands in the new painting. I think it is just a coincidence, but it is an interesting one.

I have another really old painting, one of my first, that has the same theme as my current piece. I'll see if I can get a photo of that to post.

    Happy New Year to all. My resolution is to plant as many good seeds as I can this year. And to keep working on my posture :) 

The tree is out and the pots are staying

    It's been a long week of school and administrative work. I still have another pile of it waiting for me. But, I snuck down to my studio to see about the tornado painting. 

     Last week I drew the tree in along with a couple other elements and left it alone. I've been having misgivings about the tree idea ever since. Plus, I like the pots. I like the scale difference between them and the tornado. 

     I guess I needed to live with the possibility for a while before I knew it wasn't right. Like so many other things.

     Anyway, I have an idea for a new element, so we'll see how it goes.

     In the meantime, I'm working on this little one, too. It comes from a dream, and it was so simple the image stuck with me. It's hard to see, but there is a cord with a knot at the top drawn in. We'll see how this one goes, too.

IF: Dream

  Dreams have always been a source of inspiration and pleasure for me. I've kept dream journals for much of my life, and many of my images are directly derived from them, When my son was just beginning to talk, I would ask him about his dreams when we woke up every morning. For a long time, he didn't have an answer. But one day, he offered up that he had dreamed about his toy trains, which were a big hit in our house at the time. I'm glad for this opportunity to relive this lovely memory with my contribution to Illustration Friday's topic of the week, Dream. The title of this one is Dreamer in Training.
     I am also glad for the chance to show it again, because I recently corrected a minor mistake in perspective in this piece. It was a small error, but it has always bothered me. So here it is in its new and improved form.
  

Silent Singers

Lost or stolen in Louisville, KY, June 2009.

For IF: Today's prompt is vocal, and I couldn't help but think of this little painting that disappeared while in the care of the MOAT gallery in Louisville, KY. : (

Pawn Shop Guitar

This girl has enough to make her happy.

When I was 12, I bought a guitar at a pawn shop for $18. I was totally in love with it, and as soon as I woke up the next morning, I grabbed it and started tuning it. My mother, who has a gift for photography, took my picture, and it looks like this. I can't take an ounce of credit for this composition, but the painting is mine, even though it is in a completly different style than usual.

Tapestry

For IF: The routine becomes the pattern of life.

This is one of only a few non-figurative paintings that I have done. It had figures to begin with, but I painted them out. You can tell where they were because I left the weaving dark where the figures had been. This painting was in response to the many stories and tales I have read that contain a weaver character who is responsible for the creation of the paths of life, in particular, stories by Orson Scott Card.

Dreamer in Training

Prelude and Fugue

Sometimes, robots and postmodern creatures are referred to as "canners" (ie. Asimov's I, Robot). So I am using this painting for IF's topic this week, canned.

I finally finished this, in the nick of time to enter it into a show (in New York City!) that is asking for work that is totally imaginary, that is, that wasn't made using references. I'm not holding my breath about getting in. Shows like this are a longshot at best, but it is unusual to find anyone that makes the distinction between work that is copied from photos and work that is purely from the artist's brain, so I had to try. The title I finally settled on is Prelude and Fugue. I hope Claire Corriveau will approve.

Labyrinth

For IF: Hiding behind layers of leaves, layers of masks....

This is not a self-portrait, but it is close. Sometimes I am an invisible woman. This is a portrait of her.