Reworking Greta

Or should I say, Re-Greta? :^)

I've been working on finishing this portrait of Greta Bank for an upcoming figurative show, using the photo of Greta as a reference to resolve the drawing. The drawing is roughly textured and layered with paint and drawing media - mostly pastel and colored pencil. I haven't felt this free to work a drawing to this level of finish since working on some of my older self-portraits. It feels quite satisfying to do so. I hope that the composition stays strong and that the piece retains its power without my initial loose and expressive lines...

I rather like this...it reminds me of an early Lucien Freud, or perhaps a Stanley Spencer...

Couples Portrait Progress, Cont'd...

Almost there. I still have to resolve the lower right hand corner - Pat's sweater and sleeve - and fine tune some areas of the whole piece. Pat and Tom sent me a few photos of a beach in Maine that they love, and I chose one to incorporate into the background...

Mad About Maya

Maya Bloch. Her work brings to mind R.B. Kitaj, Kiki Smith, Paula Rego, De Kooning...

Dig It

After a month of digging in the dirt, I'm back in my studio, and I am digging into panels two and three...

The Fight with White

Added a bunch more white to the first panel of my triptych yesterday. Trying to layer the flowing veil and curtains, covering some things and exposing others...argh...feels like a struggle! I'll be back at it tomorrow. My cards are telling me to trust my intuition and that I may need to make some drastic changes!

A Sunday School Sultan

Robert SanGiovanni

Chris Beneman

Jean McQuaid

Peggy Murray

Cheslye Ventimiglia

Monica Aaskov

Janet Steeves

Jean Wyman

My Tuesday Mixed Media Portraiture class created these fantastic collages last Tuesday, with inspiration provided by our free sprited model and muse, Robert SanGiovanni.

Happy Spring, and Happy Monday, All! Here's to a creative week ahead!

The Devil's in The Details

My most recent progress on the Primaries triptych - I think that's what I will title it. Primaries.

Third Panel Progress

Worked on the third panel yesterday. I had to stand on a table in the corner of my studio and put my camera near the ceiling to get all three panels into the picture. More additions and changes. Starting to pay more attention to the larger shapes that are forming and connecting the three panels...

Saturday Studio

I was in my studio from 11am - 11pm yesterday. Here are some triptych process/progress pics, not necessarily in chronological order. I can't back away from it enough to get a picture of the whole wall at once. These panels are slightly overlapping right now, but I intend for there to be space between them when they are exhibited. It's coming along. Tomorrow I will get over into that right hand panel...