Portrait of Hannah - In Progress

"Hannah" - In Progress

Oil on Canvas, 6" sq., c. Catherine Vines

     

Doesn't she have a long beautiful neck.  Not the first thing I usually notice about a beautiful woman, but the photograph perfectly illustrates this feature.

What I am most drawn to in painting a portrait is the person's expression. In this case, she radiates confidence. Now to successfully convey that.

How's This for a Background?

"Self-Portrait w/ Sunglass"

Acrylic on paper, 16x24," c. Catherine Vines

   

I have a whole series of self-portraits (at least three or four) where I am bald.

Years of therapy will probably answer this. (I think it might have to do with vulnerability?)

Just in case you are creeped out, I am working on a more conventional portrait I hope to have finished for tomorrow's posting.

I do like the division of space in this one. And it is Bold.

   

I Was Disappointed...

"Three Plums"

Oil on Canvas, 8x10," c. Catherine Vines

   

... In the plum in my last posting, (See "Three Fruits.") so I decided to concentrate on just plums.

The two fruits in the front row are defined by individual strokes, without overworking. 

The rear fellow was worked to death, poor guy; but I do like that flash of red.

I'm still fighting with my backgrounds. The almost watercolor look of the rear shadow is pretty cool though.

The process seems to be pick out what doesn't work and practice, practice, practice.

More on Backgrounds

"Savannah's Pumpkin"

Oil on Canvas, 6"sq., c. Catherine Vines

   

The original background for this painting was blue. Complementary color, right?

Not so great. 

I didn't photograph some of the other choices. I think there was umber, and maybe beige.

My goal is to integrate foreground and background. 

Now I can see that I could help the process by using some of the background on the foreground and vice-versa.

Any other ideas?

Backgrounds Are A Challenge

"Red Background"

Oil on Canvas, 10x8," c. Catherine Vines

   

For me at least.  

So I decided to make a preemptive strike, so to speak. This red background is for a landscape I have planned. My idea to to selectively let some of the red show through.

This is another foray into Color Relationships. In this case, each red is slightly different - not so clear in the photograph.

The next step will be a value study, then on to the painting.

Are Your Darks Dark Enough?

"Red Onion"

Oil on Canvas, 6" sp., c. Catherine Vines

   

I seem to be having trouble getting my darks dark enough lately. In this case, I can see that darker shadows, especially at the base of the onion, would help settle it in space.

I also need to work on my backgrounds. I think they could be much richer and more interesting. SO much to learn and so little time.

Have Leftover Skin?

"Walking MacDuff"

Oil on canvas, 6" sq.,  c. Catherine Vines

Skin tones, that is. They make great sand. This handsome young fellow prefers to carry his own leash, or even better, the leash of a fellow dog!

You'll notice I've redesigned by blog after a makeover class with Alyson B. Stanfield.  Please - I would love to hear your reactions.

Never on Sunday

Acrylic on Masonite, 16" x 20," c. Catherine Vines

Today's painting is another from the flower series in acrylics. This too was painted using the palette knife.
On the blogging front, I have decided to take a break from postings just on Sundays.  After all, I will still be painting! I am one of those people who never wrote in a diary beyond January 3rd, but I have found I enjoy blogging - probably because it's about my favorite subject: painting. On the painting front, I have narrowed my next painting to 3 possibilities so I am making progress. Sometimes I have to actually start a painting to realize that's not what I want to do right now. Fortunately, these false starts make good backgrounds for something else.

Painting the Background

Oil on canvas, 36" sq.,  c. Catherine Vines

I find backgrounds challenging.  Somewhere I've read to just paint a lot of backgrounds - in other words, practice, practice, practice. In that practicing, I've tried using the complement of the subject matter.  Mimicking the outside shape of the subject in neutral, darker colors. Painting a deeper version of the subject. Sometimes I've used smooth backgrounds (like today) to contrast the rougher interior strokes. Or the opposite: rough against smooth. But to be well done, I believe the painting has to look as if no other background good possibly work as well. So I keep practicing.

Completing a Painting

This is the latest tree in my current series (I'm working on #7 now).  Posting is helping me realize how long I take to complete a painting. I tell myself, "It's finished!" and hang it on the wall. But over time something starts to bug me; then off it comes and back to the easel.  Thus the process starts all over again.  I'm learning to pay attention to those nagging bothers rather than talk myself out of them. But I seem to need time to digest the painting before I can really see it.  Weird, huh?
These color choices are intuitive and very different from my usual.  In this case I had prepainted the background, also an atypical choice, and worked from there. The dark is Gamblin's Torrit Grey from last year, made from their recycled pigments.
The further I get in the series, the looser my brushstrokes become.  Think where I'll be by #15!

Thank you to everyone for your comments on my last post.  It's so nice to have you looking at my work. I hope you'll come back.