I put in the skin colour velatura, reds, and highlights, and then I whipped out the background, hair and shirt. I’m waiting for the black of the eyes to dry before I paint in the blue and whites in the eyes, so I’ll have to wait to publish it. That’s a shame; everyone is so positive when they see a new painting and it gives me a boost every time.
I’ve taken the photos of models for a new series of paintings called “The Thinkers.” I want to do a series of head shots where something is revealed about the sitter, as if you can understand who they are by looking at them. It’s a bit tricky to get the inflections in the eyes and lips perfect in order to achieve the perfect facial expression. I want my model here to have more of a sly smile; I’ll try to achieve that with the next layer of grisaille.
This year I’m painting little oil paintings/fridge magnets for my family; I’ve got my neices’ favourite animals and some Ontario flowers for family there. I have yet to paint them for my Oregon family. I really resent participating in the commercialism that is Christmas by buying cheap, plastic crap from China that will soon end up in a landfill, and I know that my family will appreciate these homemade gifts far more.
I haven’t written in some time as I haven’t been able to get much painting done lately. First, there was a fiasco with the printer and I spent hours on the phone with Tech Support, and then the migraines, which just won’t stop lately, but most importantly, I’ve been working on starting a T-shirt company. I’ve always wanted to do it, so I’m working on making the T-shirts myself. Despite all this, I’ve managed to do the basic outline of this commission of my friend’s daughter. I always think the sitter looks so creepy at this stage, but that should change by the end of the day.
I finished Leonard Cohen’s eye today. I thought about perhaps selling mini paintings like this, but it takes way too long. No one would pay $50 for this.
It’s coming along slowly, but I hope to finish today. I did the final layer on the skin already today (by the way, that’s the first time I’ve ever put orange on skin!) and now to do the hair and the SS uniform…
Today I whipped off this fabric study. It’s large scale (75 x 100cm) and roughly painted. The pattern will go in once it’s dry. My hope is that up close it is a big ol’ mess but comes together from a distance. Also, I want to approach interior designers in Portland and sell direct to their clients, so a large, colourful work like this would be appealing.
I found these mini canvases for Nico, but I rather like them for my work. Soon Leonard Cohen’s eye will be staring at us every time we open the fridge. I like that idea.
I’ve been experimenting a bit lately. I really feel that my work lacks courage at times (smiling baby and dog portraits don’t give me any satisfaction), so I’m doing something that is a bit incendiary; it’s a Trump portrait but he’ll be wearing an SS uniform. I already have an exhibition to participate in – please see http://arroyo212.wixsite.com/unnaturalelection.
For my final layer on the skin, I prepare the velatura, which comprised of yellow ochre, vermillion red, and white mixed with my heavier medium (60% linseed oil/40% mineral spirits). Today I painted it on quickly with a big, soft brush, but I avoid the dark areas and leave a strong underpainting there. Next, I take pure vermillion red and paint it into the red parts such as the nose, around the eyes, lips, etc, and finally I do the same with white for highlights. Finally, I paint in the eyes and other dark lines again with black on a small brush so that they pop and seem more intense.
