In the Studio This Week – Finishing up, an Artist Date, and a Simple Portrait
In the studio this week, I spent most of my painting time to finishing up the woman and horse portrait I shared last week. I squeezed in an Artist’s Date with two of my crafty friends and we all made Spring wreaths. In The Mastery Program syllabus, I am to gather at least 20 source photos for potential portfolio paintings, reflecting my artistic voice. I signed up for a 5-day quick portrait course and barely started but made a simple pastel portrait I’ll share with you.
Finishing Up
Last week I shared the beginning of a portrait of a woman on a horse. She is leaning on the horse’s neck and something about her expression captured my attention. I had laid in the background and the first layers of acrylic paint. This week, I switched to oils, adding depth and luminosity. I worked on the variations of skin tones and fur initially.Last week I shared the beginning of a portrait of a woman on a horse. She is leaning on the horse’s neck and something about her expression captured my attention. I had laid in the background and the first layers of acrylic paint. This week, I switched to oils, adding depth and luminosity. I worked on the variations of skin tones and fur initially.
I wasn’t happy with the sky, so I added some purples to the cloud shadows. I tried to work more with the cloud shapes, but was discouraged and wiped it down, leaving a blended look.
Now that the sky is dark and moody, I felt the green of the pasture was too light. Also, I noticed the bridle strap on the right side of the horse looked like some odd projectile from his eye. I used cold wax medium, mixed with oil paint, to add texture and a rich color to the pasture. It did cover the bridle strap as I intended.
Finally, I used the cold wax medium mixed with a golden yellow to add highlights to the horse’s mane and the woman’s hair. I’m calling this one done!
Artist’s Date
I have mentioned before that I am a big fan of The Artist’s Way book and lifestyle. I read the book over three years ago and it had a profound effect on my way of life. The author, Julia Cameron, advocates techniques to bring out the artist in all of us. One of those is something she calls an Artist Date. The goal is to have fun and try to tap into that childlike joy of just being alive.
I have a few local friends, Judy, and Dixi, and we try to get together frequently but went through a dry spell for awhile. A few weeks back, we got together and painted birdhouses. That was fun. Judy was given a bagful of ribbons and we were trying to decide what we could do using ribbon. Dixi (from Dallas) suggested Spring wreaths, so we set a date, including a road trip to Michael’s.
We each wandered the store looking for inspiration and supplies. I picked up a wreath form, a few flower sprigs, a bird’s nest, a birdhouse, and a few birds to round out the theme.
I have a spacious kitchen island, so we set up with our supplies, glue guns, scissors, wire, and the like. It took more time than I had thought and Dixi wasn’t able to finish.
Here’s our results:
A Simple Portrait
I had seen a promotion for a 5-day mini course on using pastels for portraits. I have been interested in pursuing more pastel work ever since I did this portrait for my Aunt Rita on her 101st birthday. I was pleased with the result but hadn’t touched pastels since and this was done nearly three years ago.
The first day was sketching the shape of the head and I went a bit further and tried to apply the pastel. What was taught is to use the pastel sticks like a paintbrush and lay down the color like paint. The instructor recommends not touching the pastel with your fingers. I didn’t use my fingers but I did use a blending tool. I would like to feel confident enough to let he pastels well enough alone.
Reflections
It is nearly March, and I can feel the pull of Spring and the new beginnings and transformation it can bring. I did something I haven’t done in years – planted seeds! I recycled an egg carton and planted some Delicate squash seeds. My husband loves this particular type of squash and it is only seasonally available.
I had just about given up hope on the seeds germinating when this happened:
Now I need to get some containers to transplant them!
Wishing you all the hope that the Spring season brings and perhaps you’ll feel the pull to create this season.
