R. Love - Portrait Painting

R. Love   watercolor on Khadi   13 x 9.5

Portrait painting is an incredibly satisfying experience....or not...depending on the delicate balance of oh-so-many factors.

The quest for likeness provides, of course, the drive.  But, for me, especially for me, when likeness takes over, the work can become too finished, too slick, too plastic-y.  
Because expressive stroke-making is so important to me, I have to be willing to forego small details and to be satisfied with a broader description.  Where to stop?  That is the difficult part!

And, because I am searching for something honest rather than perfect, I feel that I must shoot my own very spontaneous reference photos.  

Another factor is the color palette.  I prefer a quite limited palette....a warm brown and an accompanying cool, along with the resultant neutrals when these two are combined.  Value tells the tale.  Rainbowy local colors are too sweet and leave me cold....they also distract from the rawness that I prefer.

In this case, I used Khadi paper.  It is very unforgiving and highly textured.  It holds water easily. Using it required me to move more slowly and carefully.

The hardest thing of all is to paint someone you love.  It can never be perfect enough.

And so, as you can see, this undertaking was a bit of a quest for me.  And it was accomplished by going more slowly and working more deliberately....dividing the work sessions into smaller bits.

I am happy to say that in this case, the result matches my vision.  I am happy....and I love her.

The Red Bucket...Switching it Up

The Red Bucket   watercolor on Khadi   15 x 29

I would have to say that 140# cold press watercolor paper is the "go to" paper for watercolorists.  We get very content and familiar with Fabriano Artistico and Strathmore Artistico.  They do, after all, have many endearing qualities:  liftability; ease of moving the paint around, a perfect amount of sizing and a predictable softness. Vanilla ice cream.

What happens when we switch it up?  I like to say that changing one of your variables (paper, paint or brushes) is like the adjustments one must make while driving in various weather conditions...somehow we learn to maneuver around, hopefully with ease.  "The Red Bucket" is now my 4th or 5th painting on Khadi paper, a handmade, mouldmade, acid free  paper from India that is said to be made from recycled tee shirts.  At this time, I think that I am able to generalize the directions of works painted on Khadi:  1) the paint cannot be pushed around quite as readily, as it quickly sinks into the fibers 2) as a result of #1, the objects have harder edges than most of my work 3) the colors are stonger....I find that I am applying more layers than usual 4)  the paint can be lifted, somewhat, but with greater and greater difficulty 5)  the texture and vibrancy of these works is what make them stand out.  A completely different experience....fun to be had!  Rum raisin.

Winter Wood

Winter Wood   Watercolor   27.5 x 15

is a scene I witness almost weekly this time of year, as hiking is a wonderful way to break the monotony of indoor time.  We are lucky to be close to a reservoir which provides the ultimate in a brisk and crunchy bit of exercise and freedom.  I love this scene and can feel myself immersed in pleasure when I have time to participate.  Winter is my favorite season, as I appreciate immensely the solitude and calm that it exudes....dim lighting, bare bones and clinging snow that oppose the warmth of the hearth and kitchen.

This painting was a daunting task.  Several times within the process I thought all was lost.  I continued to push, pull and scrape.  Part of the endeavor was the maintenance of the cherished white particles which are the white of the paper.  Khadi paper provided the texture and gritty quality that I desired.  I am satisfied. 

I am so happy to have completed this work in January as the unexpected warmth this year has presented a completely different view outside my studio windows....tomorrow's high is expected to be 70 degrees.  It feels wrong.

The Grass Being Greener

The Grass Being Greener   Watercolor on Khadi   18 x 24.5

Yes...the grass is always greener on the other side...of the experience, of the life circumstance, and of the painting.  The sketch is complete.  The subject fairly well understood.  The paint, the brushes and the paper at the ready.

Each painting offers up a unique experience and, as part of the preparation, I try to visualize the finished work as well as to plan a step-by-step plan in order to achieve the desired results.  Khadi paper offers up it own qualities.  This is my third work using this wonderful paper and I am still maneuvering through its capabilities, as well as my own.  I liken it to driving a vehicle through an unfamiliar terrain, or in various weather conditions.  My first pass was a dropping-in of pigment wet-into-wet for the spots on this dappled bovine.  Dropping-in is something that Khadi does very well.  My next pass was to be a graded background wash.  Not easily undertaken.  A failure, in fact, as the ultra-absorbing paper does not allow for much pushing and pulling.  And so, my thrill came from the adjustments that had to be made in order to achieve the painting in my mind.  Difficult, but doable.

Indeed...the grass is always greener...how very appropriate! Oh, the glory of the process!

(Painting)..."It is a form of conversation, and just like a conversation it can turn out exciting, boring, ugly, beautiful, enlightening.  Like a conversation.  it can have unexpected turns, sudden discoveries and hidden subtext and periods of silence.  All this is what makes painting endlessly fascinating."

                                              Alex Kanevsky

Onion Afterthought

Onion Afterthought   Watercolor on Khadi   10 x 14

For me, a still life painting is a way to get back to basics without an overload of emotional attachment.  We can learn about value patterns and their linkage.  And there is no one to offend.  And, for me, the still life work is a bit of an offshoot of my other life in the kitchen.  The onion, for example.  Its amazing flavor is the basis for many great meals.  The variety abounds.  And, given the abundance of options at the market today, we can experience the marvels of leeks and shallots.  Visually, they are expansive in color, shape and texture.  This kept my interest in this work which was painted on Khadi paper.  Khadi provides an interesting texture to the paint which should probably be considered in selected appropriate subject matters.  I am happy with this work and am thrilled with both the color and the shapes of the leek leaves.  And, I guess that the rich dark backgrounds seem appropriate for the richness and strength of the subject matter.

Grilled, fried, sliced, diced and painted....an epicurean delight.

A Tin Among Cans

Basement #2 (A Tin Among Cans)   watercolor on Khadi   18.75 x 28

Another composition from my very very very old basement!  While in high school, I used to freak out every weekend trying to decide upon a subject worthy of my attention to paint for the required Monday art project...something so meaningful or so beautiful that it would initiate "pause".  That all seems so funny now, as my work is based on my own perception of the reality, rather than the subject itself.

This work was broadly painted with watercolor on Khadi paper...my first experiment with this luxurious handmade paper from India.  It is an intimate relationship, and one entered into with some trepidation, getting to know and appreciate the qualities of an unfamiliar support.  I like this work (a lot), although I feel that from here on, I will use Khadi for more delicate subject matters.  I hesitated a bit as to whether or not to include typography from the paint cans and decided against...typography (left brain) always steals the show and takes the visual power away from the inherent rhythms.  A visitor to our local gallery expressed this same opinion a few months ago....she paused in front of a very conceptual work that included stenciled lettering.  She offered her opinion that the "readable symbols" caused her appreciation of the work to come to a complete halt.  Ah....something to consider.