Showing posts with label commission portrait. Show all posts
Showing posts with label commission portrait. Show all posts

Monday, November 22, 2010

Checking Back In

As stated in my sidebar..I write this blog to tell about life as an artist living in (rural) Kansas.  Also, my plan was to have a plethora of art pieces to showcase on a regular basis.  Sometimes that works and sometimes that doesn't.  Many have told me that it interests them to know what an artist does, how they think, what they experience in their lives that makes them able to and want to do what they do.  I hope I share that, as well, probably not always obvious..but hopefully my readers can infer.  

Been in the studio the past several days.  It's been a real wrestle, but I need to get on with it.  I have a commission to paint of a coworker/friend's dog, who passed in May.  (See a couple of posts ago, same dog, different pose and a more involved finished piece - larger, more complex.)  By contrast, I am experiencing some of the same emotions that she felt at an earlier time.  This painting is one of those MOST IMPORTANT paintings for reasons you may understand.  Not that they aren't all important, but painting 'life' - posthumously - is the supreme challenge for me. 

Two dogs are with me at all times.  We are discovering the "new" order of life without Herman.  I watch them act out in different ways...it all says to me how they are missing him, too.  We are helping each other - healing from a loss of a pet, and best friend/companion/source of unconditional love and affection.  The BIG awareness for me is...there will never be another dog like him.  He was the "one and only - Herman".  Going forth each day, trying to find inspiration in his memory.  It's gonna take awhile.  Thanks for your kind thoughts/comments and emails. 

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Work in Progress - Newborn Portrait in Pastel

 It's difficult to give a portrait a personality. This commission has 'one' fairly dated photo of a newborn to work from.  I am using pastel on burgundy Canson paper. This is my third attempt...finally got the likeness down, still working on the colors. The photo, although yellowed and ruined from being wet on a majority of the swaddling, allows me to make that part up as I go. He is also sitting in one of those upright plastic baby carrier/infant chairs, therefore I need to make a decision of what's going on on the right side of the painting, But if you were in my studio you would hear..."Nope, that ain't it...no, that's not it either." It leaves me to state, for those of you out there also painting commissioned portraits, I feel your pain if you are working from an "iffy" photo.
AND BTW - "this ain't it!!!" -photo was deleted...

Still Truckin' Along

  Yep - I am still doing ART - making MARKS - giving it an almost daily START - however, I am just NOT in the space anymore.  (and I will ...