Three Lads

Three Lads   conte/charcoal/relief ink on paper   19 x 14

was inspired in part by a vintage photograph in our family archives which features my father-in-law Luther and two companions on a boat ride on the Hudson River sometime in the 30's.  By subtracting detail and color, the three gestural shapes are emphasized and empowered.  White values start at the top and work their way down.  Just the opposite with the darks.  Ties were printed on later using relief ink, erasers and tracing paper templates.

This drawing was begun in a workshop "Using Value to Punctuate and Strengthen Drawings and Paintings".  I joyfully finished it at home.

Candace 4...

Candace in Black and White   watercolor   26.75 x 17

This is it. Candace 4 shows my resolution and I am happy/ After doing some value sketches to decide if I might like the addition of a very dark area, I did just that using a blackish-green and dropping in some orange. (Ideally, these invaluable value studies should be done before beginning any painting, but not as probable in demonstration circumstances where time is at a premium and people want to see you paint) The dark at the top helped to devalue the fedora.....a decision had to be made. Dominance for the hat or the boots....not both. I also left some pink patches showing through to mimic the pattern in the coat. I really like the way the boots drop off of the solid color field onto the lightest area. Although I am basically finished, I am still considering the addition of a very light stroke on the left of the the boot on the viewer's left.

There were actually many more passes than four.....I have described here only the four that were more groundbreaking in order to condense this process.