Thursday, May 22, 2008

Rough Night


"Rough Night" - 6" x 8" oil on canvasboard
Continuing to practice getting the skintones right, with oil paint. This is just a practice piece. You may recognize her, it's my stepdaughter that I did a pastel of here. This source was a cell phone photo. So why do I keep choosing these photos that aren't helping me much? Don't know. It must be the part of me that requires challenges a little beyond the norm when it comes to doing just about anything. I am just that way with (especially) art. If I had my way - and the materials - I would be doing 'wall sized' people - the size of what Denny Dent's Art Attack did here. Saw him at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival in Denver years ago, and it was one of those memorable, life changing events. He painted Bruce Springsteen or maybe it was Bob Dylan and John Lennon on canvas as big as billboards. He died at the age of 55, in 2004. You can see his performance art pieces here.
The way the painting above came out, it reminded me of him.

3 comments:

Dar Presto said...

It's a great piece. Look at it in grayscale, and you'll see that you did a good job. The composition is kinetic, which is a terrific foil for the pensive, inward gaze. Those eyes are beautiful! I'm curious if, as a practice piece, you gained a freedom of expression?

Pattie Wall said...

Absolutely! Thanks for your observations! I also feel sometimes - the painting is somewhat influenced by the tonal color used on the canvas, in this case an opaque purple.

Pattie Wall said...

Thanks, Nancy! Her eyes are really piercing blue, too. Sometimes they pierce right through me! Ha (that's a little stepdaughter joke.)
Supposed to be a little calmer tonight. Good, cause I am going to KC tomorrow for a visit and a MAPS meeting.

More NEW art pieces

  Lukki - watercolor 9" x 12" acrylic done from Unsplash ph ref, thanks C Deluvio!