After Vermeer - Day 18

After Vermeer and the "after" should be explained.  When an artist does a study from an Old Master, you want to make sure there would never be any confusion that your painting could be confused with the original!  HA!  Makes me laugh because some of my paintings from this challenge have surprised me with their wonderful energy - but NO ONE is going to confuse any of my portraits for the original, especially this Vermeer!

But doing all of these wonderful old masters has been inspiring and I could not leave out one of the most famous - "Girl With a Pearl Earring".  I also thought of painting the Mona Lisa but decided against that one because of the magnitude of that project!

Anyway I thought I had my shadow darks in nice and dark.....

Against the white canvas they look good and dark!

Starting on her head wrap and realizing that her mouth needs some attention too!

On to painting the robe and so far I am liking her!

But then I put in the blue-black background and it totally washed out her face as well as the shadows in the face.

I have a group of women that I paint with and we also do critiques.  I think I will ask them what I could of done differently to improve the finished piece.

Also, maybe it's the camera.  HA - now you are probably thinking that the dog ate my homework too!  But if you compare the photo above (with the black background) and the photo above this (with the white canvas) you will see how much darker the shadows are on the white one.  I think my camera compensates for the white and for the black causing the shadows to lighten.

After Gauguin

Detail from Tahitian Women on the Beach - Day 17

30 Paintings in 30 Days

After Paul Gauguin

Over the Hill

Day 16 has arrived in the challenge I have signed up with - 30 Paintings in 30 Days.  We are officially over half way done and I have to say that I have enjoyed the process.

Day 16 is a funny little painting originally done by Georges de la Tour "The Fortune Teller" circa 1630.  My painting is just one of the people in his original painting.  It was a struggle for me to do so much blending and matching.  I tend to paint fast and with large strokes.....this was the opposite!

I just like the expression on her face.  Kind of like she knew it would take me awhile to paint her, so she is averting her eyes and has a little snicker at my lack of patience!

Getting in the darks and shadows......

Finishing her face and starting on her head scarf......

Head scarf is almost completed.....

I could of worked several more hours on this painting but as I am trying to keep these 6 x 6 inch paintings to 1 hour and I already had 2 1/2 on this one, I deemed it complete!




Here is Day 15's lovely little painting....

Berthe Morisote's self portrait as she was aging and showing her gray hair.

Almost half way there!

Day 14

The Challenge - 30 Paintings in 30 Days sponsored by Leslie Saeta.

I really don't know what I will do with my days beginning February 1st......

Diebenkorn & Lemieux

Days 12 & 13 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days a challenge by Leslie Saeta.

Yesterday I began a drawing class.  It was a three hour class and we drew 64 poses!  Needless to say, I was exhausted so did not get Day 12 in until today!


Day 12

"Woman with Hat & Gloves" the original was done by Diebenkorn.

Richard Diebenkorn was a American painter. His early work is associated with Abstract expressionism and the Bay Area Figurative Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. His later work were instrumental to his achievement of worldwide acclaim. Wikipedia

 

 

Day 13

 

 

 

I finally found my panel holder for small paintings that I purchased for a Carol Marine workshop in Santa Fe a few years ago.  It allow me to paint to the edges of the panel and it hold the panel in place beautifully.  Carol's husband invented it and now sells it HERE.

 

 Work in progress.....

 

"La Femme au chapeau blanc" - the original was done by Jean Paul Lemieux

Fun day of painting!

Day 11

I found this self-portrait on Pinterest by artist Rudolf Tewes in 1906 but when I Googled him there was not a lot written about him other than him being German.  Strange because I love his painting especially his line work. 

I had to work on taxes today....fun...right...so I began Day 11 rather late and by the time I finished, it was almost dark.  So the color of the photo/print is not this orange but pink!  I love the combo of pink and yellow!

Finished the face but then noticed that the mouth was too low.  Raised it up at the last minute!

I toned down his yellow hat as well!

 

Love the bold brushwork!

One Third Done

Today is Day 10 in the 30 Paintings in 30 Day Challenge, which means that we are one third done!

Getting in my darks and today I was going to make sure my darks were plenty dark! Lesson learned!

Oh my - just look at how dark that skin tone is against the white canvas but I stuck to my plan!

OK.....it may be a hair darker than the original but I was happy to have finally gotten my darks dark enough!!

Fisherwoman from Valencia (original by Joaquin Sorolla)

I have to say I really enjoyed painting this portrait today.  The colors are so yummy and Sorolla's style of bold loose brush work is wonderful!