Another painting from Sharon Sprung's class. I loved the many shades of blues and greens which beautifully offset the model's delicate complexion and hair. Very tricky to capture a more mature model's features without being harsh. Such small differences can make her look too young or too old. I learned a lot, again.
A cropped version of the same photo previously posted. This will be exhibited at the Academy in Sharon's Class show beginning April 2 and hanging for 2 weeks.
Still on the easel at the Academy, my most recent painting finished in class yesterday. It will go in the class show which will be hung on April 2 and run for two weeks. So, I probably won't have a chance to photograph it until after the show. I was surprised and pleased at how well the composition turned out in this painting since I was one of the last in the class to "pick my spot" and that usually means a disadvantage in the view of the pose. But this was kind of nice, peeking past the backdrop/curtain at this lovely young woman. Amanda is an amazing model and a pleasure to paint. I learned a lot with this painting, too. (Thanks to Sharon, as always!)
A new figurative painting from class, and another that the photo does some weird stuff. I need help! The colors seem to shift inconsistently and things show up that are not even in the painting. Also, so much detail is lost. It looks murky. And I don't have this problem when shooting anything except my paintings. :-( But photography aside, this is a fairly successful painting from life. A beautiful model and an interesting pose. That fabric is tough! I referred to the master, Sorolla, whose fabric is incredible. Mine needs work, but all in all, a pretty good effort, I think. I only wish my blog followers could see it in person.
I loved this pose, the feeling of a moment of silence between two people. Connie and Cesar. Excellent models. This is still unfinished. I need to work more on Connie, and also on the scarf and vest. But I was really pleased with Cesar's face so I wanted to go ahead and post it. I don't know when I'll get back to it, as most of my non-class painting is done in VT. In my class I'm on to another one which I'm liking a lot as well.
I haven't posted in a while and I have two new images to share, but I'll preface these posts with the comment that I am frustrated with my ability to photograph the images, and I'm not sure what to do about it. I just can't get them to look like they look. So much detail is lost. So much color shift, and so much reflection. OK, I'm done with my rant. This was a studio/class painting and my "spot" was seated just below the model, so I it was a tough place to paint. But the model was amazing and I loved the challenge. The tutu wasn't easy either! So, despite frustrations, I've decided to share.
A new studio painting completed today at the Academy (Sharon Sprung's class.) Sorry about the reflections on the darks. I may try to re-photograph it tomorrow. This is another of the large format paintings - 24x36 - done from life/a model. I seem to have the most success with either very small or very large.
I don't have grandchildren, but I have 2 grand-dogs. Ojib and Kitty. And they are both grand dogs. I finally got a chance to paint in my studio in VT over the Thanksgiving holiday. Yes, these are gifts, and I'm counting on the fact that I don't think the kids check my blog, so I'm not linking these to Facebook. Very fun to paint the dogs. I'll do more. . . 
Another summer reverie, my niece Kendall kayaking this summer. Yes, there's a theme here. Hanging inside on a winter-like October day. Make the most of it by painting!!! Sweet memories, and feeling very productive. Nice!
