Day 60

Sarah

(8x10", Oil) $275.00

Sorry I've not posted in awhile, but I had some 'inspiration block' things going on, and we got really busy with one thing and another...

However, here is the first real portrait that I've done in years. Sarah is a dear friend who did some modelling for my husband Bob, when he needed some specific references for a couple of personal paintings he wanted to work on. When he finished getting his photographs, I darted in with my camera and took some of Sarah in portrait poses for future reference - nicely draped in the diaphanous gauzy things she'd dragged out of her costume and sewing closet. A girl after my own heart - there's something so indulgent about luxurious fabrics. Anyway, of the forty or so photos we got, this one was my favourite - so I painted it.

I began the painting about two months ago. It was complicated by the fact that I was trying to paint a real person, which I hadn't done in many years. I surrended to my painting insecurites after painting in the base layers, forming the face, scarf and background. Part of the problem was that I didn't like the colour tones - they were mainly derivative of greens. So I put the canvas aside. I really don't like to throw away something that I've started, because I never know when I will see promise in it again - enough to transform it into something worthwhile. And this is what happened with 'Sarah'. On Sunday, I told myself that I really had to paint something so I wouldn't completely lose my momentum. After a bit of thought, I dragged out the discarded canvas and had a good look at it. I figured that I needed to change the colour tone, take a deep breath, and lay paint. Within a very short amount of time, I'd found the soul of the painting, if not Sarah.

For the palette, there are the usual suspects: Burnt Sienna, French Ultramarine, Cadmium Yellow Hue, Titanium White, Alizirin Crimson, Cadmium Red Light, and Cadmium Yellow Light. Brushes consisted of three Filberts: Sizes 8, 6, and 4, and a Size 2 Round.

When I get to painting faces, I usually smooth the surfaces so that they look like they've been airbrushed. I've been trying to rid myself of this habit, as there is wonderful freedom in knowing where to put a dash here and a dab there to form the planes of the face. When you step back and look at the result, the human eye automatically blends the various dabs and daubs into a cognizant whole. I've tried for that, but a lot of it has been lost in translation to the digital image. I even had to digitally airbrush some of the reflection off the top of the painting and lost some of Burnt Sienna dots and daubs from the background. This painting is much more luminous in real life.

So, I think I'd better go find my muse and have a serious talk with her.
See you tomorrow,
Marianne