I’ve been painting a lot of canine figures and faces lately, but I’m still trying to mix in some fyrther explorations of the human form. This weekend, in between watercolor paintings of my dogs, I gave the female face another try.
Thinking of Aphrodite, 9″ x 11″ Watercolor on paper, 2012
I wasn’t feeling very well yesterday, so I left work early and took it easy at home. I spent the first couple hours on the couch and then decided to sit outside in the beautiful sunshine and do a little painting. I was quite productive!
I worked on paper because it is easy to carry outside and because I feel more free to be experimental. So here is experiment number one. In this one, I was working on figures again, but with more energy and an abstract background.
Steam Bath, Acrylic on paper, 2012
Experiment number two: This is another painting from my photo trip to Lakota Wolf Preserve. In this one, I started with an abstract background and then added a wolf looking in from the side. I enjoy experimenting with balance and unique compositions.
Lakota Spirit, Acrylic on paper, 2012
My final experiment was a landscape. I’ve been thinking about this for some time and I finally conjured up the courage to give it a try. I have to admit, I’m surprised by how much I like the finished painting. I may work on a few more!
Lunch Break, Acrylic on paper, 2012
All in all, a pretty good sick day!
Last Dance, Acrylic on canvas board, 16" x 20", 2012
I made another attempt at painting a figure this weekend. I have had this “picture” of a woman dancing in my head forever and I just can’t get it out onto the canvas. This is my most recent attempt. Nope! Not there!
So, back to my comfort zone. I dug out an old photograph that I shot years ago at Lakota Wolf Preserve of an arctic wolf. This time I changed things by trying a new surface, something called Gessobord, It’s interesting! Very smooth, not texture, just a hint of tooth. I used brushes and a palette knife. While it was a lot of fun to paint, I’m not completely sure I love the result. It is definitely better up close and in person than in a photo. It is hard to capture the texture and the subtlety of color. I may go back and rework it a little bit when I get past my “figure drawing frustration”. We’ll see…
Autumn Frost, Acrylic on Gessobord, 16" x 20", 2012
Shoes Untied Again! Acrylic on cnavas, 11" x 9", 2012
It’s been a long time since I had a figure drawing class! I took me close to three weeks and countless repaintings to get this one done! I seem to have completely forgotten how the human body is assembled! If I’m going to continue to grow as a painter, I think I need to make sure that I mix in a few people with the canines every now and then.
