Aja

 Aja is a fabulous model. She has that special ability to create a mood. Her long black hair was partially died a bright pink-orange, and piled high on her head. Her outfit looked like underwear from some by-gone time, with white shift and bloomers, pink and white striped stockings and, dainty lace-up boots with 2-inch heels. She has a calm and regal beauty which combined with her attire to create a rare and unique atmosphere.    Iris Sabre

Aja in White Blouse                   oil on canvas    24 by 18

Portraits of Male Models

Stephen     oil on canvas

Oteino     oil on canva

Steven   oil on canvasa

Deirdre Shibano sent these three portraits to post.  They were done this year in our 11 to 2 pm figure painting group on Tuesdays at the Firehouse.  All of them are in oil. We have a male model  in rotations with three women and one man.  We used to do it more often but there were not as many men and we had too much repetition.  Recently there are quite a few new male models.

The Howling Dog

Coffee Break                        oil on canvas

Anyone who paints in our figure painting group at the Firehouse from 11 to 2 pm. on Tuesdays  is familiar with the dog who sits with the man at the coffee shop next door.  He is a scruffy little guy who howls at sirens or other noises only he can hear.   Philip Ng did this wonderful portrait of him.

Chris  oil on canvas 18 by 24

Chris was dressed strangely in a patchwork shirt and skirt, but he looked very natural working on his computer.

Seeley  oil on canvas 18 by 24

Seeley was very relaxed. I think she actually went to sleep. I like the diagonal lines and the deep blue color next to her skin.      Iris Sabre

Lisa D.

Lisa D   oil  20 by 16

 While I like the figure and the coloring, I wish the stool and bench didn't turn out as generic boxes. 

Jessica Joy Jirsa

The Process of Painting

I thought I'd share a few more paintings from the morning figure group at the Firehouse. As I catalog all my work while prepping for my new website design, I was amazed to see how much I've grow since my frst session back in August 2011.

 The Drinker-20x16- This is the first painting that I feel I fully completed without over painting.  It also was my first break in painting the background as is and was really excited about the effect of the abstract elements. You will see this more and more in future pieces.             Jessica Joy Jirsa
 

Siri

Siri   oil 18 by 24

Karen arranged dramatic lighting on Siri, which accentuated her beautiful red hair and pink skin.
Iris Sabre

Randall the Pirate

Randall the Pirate    oil 24 by 18

Iris Sabre sent this painting done during the recent session that coincided with the North Shattuck Wine and Food Festival. We had 5 painters who were all very good sports and kept painting even though the room was filled with people who stopped by to taste wine.    Iris said, " I went to my happy place while painting Randall during the wine-tasting last week. With 100 plus people in the room drinking Kombucha the intensity of his focus was matched only by my own."

Prudence

Prudence  oil  24 by 18

Prudence reclined opulently amid the deep blues, purples and reds of her scarves and pillows.

Iris Sabre

    

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.

A Selection of Paintings

I finally got Jessica Jirsa, who comes to the morning figure session,  to send  some jpegs of her paintings to our blog. She said, "There is something old, new, a dog and something blue...I am now married to this figure group."  They are all oil on canvas or board.   Enjoy!

Bonnie   14 by 18

Lady and Her Dog   20 by 16

Leah   20 by 20

The Magician  16 by 12

Carla

Terry at Firehouse North

Terry at Firehouse North   oil on canvas  20 by24

Terry maintain this arch, contented expression, humming along with the music as he posed. He said this painting is "almost a good-morning".

Iris Sabre

Tyler on Valentine's Day

Tyler  oil on canvas   24 by 18

Tyler posed on Valentine's Day wearing his bright red NBA t-shirt.  Iris Sabre

Waiting at the Cafe

Waiting at the Cafe    oil   18 by 24

Started working on this at the Firehouse Studio in Berkeley on Tuesday.  We had a wonderful model, Talia.. There is a model set up in an environment each week. This is a pretty awesome place with pretty awesome people ...
Greatly appreciate it....
Deirde Shibano

A Selection From the Last Few Months

David  oil

Firehouse Model   oil

Leah Before Italy    oil

Deirdre Shibano sent these painting to post.  They are from the last few months of models we have had in the Tuesday morning group.

Mark at a Cafe

At the Cafe    oil on canvas

Mark with Flowers ( detail)  oil on canvas

I love painting at the Firehouse in the mornings.  Besides feeling fresh, one gets two sessions to work with the same model.  Mark was a great model, although it was his first time modeling!  In this painting, all of the items were there except I made the vase and flower taller, so as to break the wall horizontal line, and I added a red scarf on the chair.  The intention was to create a narrative picture... The viewer makes the story.  This piece is still  in process, but I think it is still worth playing with.


D Shibano

 


 

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Thoughts About a Painting of Mark

Mark   oil on canvas  20 by 16

I began with a lightly painted line drawing, and didn´t notice that the head-size was a little too large for the size (20" x 16") of the canvas. This seems to be an oft-repeated problem for me.
 
When I returned for the 2nd and last session with Mark, I concentrated on fleshing out the true colors of his face; darkening the shadow side and adding bright color to the lit side. All that I need to do in order to finish, is to complete the background and add some highlights to his hair. 


Vicki Salzman

Some Favorites

Diana

Leah

Prudence

Andrew Pick sent these painting to post on the blog. He has been coming for many months often painting in both the morning and evening group on Tuesdays. Soon he plans on moving to New York City and he will be missed in our group. These are some of the paintings he has done and are his favorites.  I believe they are all done in oil on canvas.