Trickles

Trickles   oil/canvas   30 x 24x 1.5

My partner grew up in the East.  His childhood vacations were taken to the Jersey shore.  At the beginning of our marriage, we, too, vacationed in Jersey...it was all so exciting with the mix of ocean, sand, sun and the boardwalk with its carnival atmosphere, aimed at entertaining the little ones with shiny toys of all kinds.  As our family grew, our vacations moved to North Carolina where the sand was whiter, the ocean warmer and cleaner and the environment less populous.  The bottom line:  we were a beach family.  

This painting was referenced from a small square black and white photograph.  This is my mother-in-law, E, and my husband, also E.  I painted this for my partner's 75th birthday.  The work was done on top of a less successful highly textured painting  which provided just the right amount of challenge and chaos for me.  It happened easily and I am so very happy.

Trickles of the tide.  Trickles of water between rocks.  Trickles of memory.

Mary

Mary 20 x 10 x 1.5

is a painter from my oil class.  I feel so privileged to meet so many creatives of like mind!

One of the challenges I always try to introduce is the study of the figure.  We (I) don't have nearly enough opportunities to draw and paint from life.  Why?  Hiring models is expensive and prone to many difficulties.  Sometimes they don't show up.  Sometimes they want to relate so much that they talk through the sessions, moving every muscle in the pose.  And...the sessions must be timed.  Five minute breaks turn into ten.  And, when painting in a group (more affordable), the pose is often determined by the most dominant artist in the group.  The pose is usually sitting and often involves a fancy tea cup and massive draperies.  (UGH!)  At  one point, I hired a model for my small studio...the space limitations created even more problems, as I prefer standing at quite a distance in order to blur the too-many details. There... it is off my chest.  

On the flip side, photos flatten images, skew the values and offer up way too many details.  

This painting was created using a spontaneous photo reference from a moment when Mary was simply admiring the work of another artist.  As I really do like the small gestures that occur naturally in the comings and goings of humans, this shot satisfied me in that this pose with hands crossed behind the back IS SO MARY.  The plaid shirt is implied, the pattern  rendered more accurately at key junctures.  No mistake.  I believe that this small work implies Mary more than a portrait might.

I am happy.