Prudence as Olympia

Prudence as Olympia
Oil on canvas, 18 x 24"

It all started with Prudence's pose. We were joking around and then, seeing I would have a bit of extra time, I measured my height vs her figure and drew an outline of myself in the background. I figured I would challenge myself to paint a credible portrait of myself as Olympia's servant in my studio. I did the underpainting for myself at the very end of our three hour period.

Once home I asked Sarah to take a picture of me in the same position I had sketched, using an old laptop as a prop. We used the light from our living room window because it came at the same angle as the light from the lamp at the Firehouse, but once in my studio, I turned it into incandescent light by using the same color mix I was using at night, titanium white, cadmium yellow and ultramarine blue.

I know the composition isn't fantastic, but I was really going for the challenge I had set myself and not so much for a perfect product. Now that I have a method, I will try this again and again until I feel more comfortable.

Denise On The Red Chair

Oil on canvas, 18 x 24"

Denise is an unusual model in that she can sustain a smile for three hours. I don't know how she achieves this.
For this painting, I mixed each color with a lot of stand oil. Normally I don't do this when I work all a prima, but the resulting mix is too thick. So mixing each color beforehand with stand oil gives the whole painting a more fluid feel. You can really see it in the objects near the window.

I worked on the area next to the window first, for fear of losing the blue light after the sun went down. Then I worked on the room, and lastly, on Denise. I revised in my studio, making a mental note of what I wanted to change before I left the firehouse.

Edna, Angel or Muse?

Edna, Angel or Muse? Oil on canvas, 11 x 14"

I could not decide, but what I did know is that I wanted to change the setting. This painting was done at the Firehouse. She was dressed differently and was sitting atop a mound of cushions that were all these different colors, so the color harmony was not helping me that night. I decided to change it all and came up with this more bucolic setting. Karen did the same but she gave Edna a great window to look at.

Red Camisole

This 18 x 24" acrylic gave me a good "run for the money," as it took everything I had to finish it in three hours. There are some revisions I'd like to make, but overall, I'm happy with it.

Twilight Painting

I don't remember who this is, or the date when I painted it. It was not a big canvas, 16 x 20" in size. I really like how the model came out, though. I have been using a whole lot of gel and doing a lot of scraping in these paintings, and it really shows on this one.

Firehouse at Night

I have started scratching the surface of canvas covered in a thin film of dark paint. At night, it seems easier to start from the dark, instead of from a light-colored canvas. Then I paint on top of this film and the values stay dark enough. For the light areas, I scrape the space they occupy with a palette knife... if I remember to bring one!

Bob's In The Dark

After the Firehouse received a dark new coat of paint, it felt like a cave. I decided that since I could not see his face that clearly, that I would make the street the center of attention. I finished this 20 x 20" rather quickly because I did not have a lot of anatomy to deal with.

Shawnree in a Green Dress

Shawnree is one of my favorite guild models. She has a beautiful expression. But I had a hard time with this painting. This is the painting I was doing two years ago. The resulting 20 x 20" oil is good, but not what I want. However, frustration alone gets me nowhere. I placed it on top of the fireplace, so I can look at it everyday and figure out what I did not like. I am learning to be more patient with myself as a painter, and to do some writing about the paintings, which is also very helpful. Rebeca

David on the Red Sofa

David was quite cooperative considering that the pose made his hand go to sleep. I liked his expression and the hat he brought along. But I was entranced by the pelt on which he was sitting, which I left for last. This pelt, together with the sofa, makes for an interesting pattern on the rectangular space of the canvas. I think this painting ended up attracting me because of the primary color harmony. My palette was pretty simple too: titanium white, alizarin crimson, lemon and cadmium yellow, and ultramarine blue. Rebeca

Lorraine's Portrait

I seldom do portraits in this setting because I like the entire environment, it's very lively! But I had already painted Lorraine in it the previous week, and I had also decided to use oils instead of acrylics. My camera did not register the pale green background or the many yellows on her face. I tried to correct this with photoshop but I am not very knowledgeable. She had great hair color, I think you will be able to tell how much I liked it. Rebeca