Carol

Caarol   watercolor   14 x 10

 is a watercolor portrait done in my class.  It was Halloween and masks served both as a  holiday bit of fun, as well as a device to avoid too much detail in the way of likeness.

Although it is a bit messier than my usual, I still like it.  Some of the usual slower deliberation and care were sacrificed for the goal of speed.  I think that this would be my choice over the don-over-several-days of careful painting where details and smoothness of strokes can easily disintegrate into a plastic-like feel.

Sometimes these works are more honest?

Also Julie

Also Julie   watercolor   12.5 x 10

is so named, as I have, in the past, done another work of a different Julie.  This one, in watercolor, was painted from life with the model sitting two table-widths away from me.  She was painting me.  Facial planes were painted bit by bit, so that the facial features (eyes, nose and mouth) almost end up painting themselves.  It really does require a different way of "seeing", and is sometimes hard for beginning artists to grasp.  It was cold, cold, cold that night.  A few cools were added, as well as some minute details, when the paper was dryer at home.

I am pleased.

Annie

Annie   watercolor/relief ink   9.75 x 9.25

is an enthusiastic volunteer at "our" art center who posed for our watercolor class a few weeks back.  It was a two-week pose, the first week relegated to drawing and familiarizing; the second to the actual painting.  My "spot" was way off to the side where I saw only the shadow side of Annie's face.  I decided to use only monochromatic cool washes for the rendering, partially because that told the story of her pose relative to my easel, and also to oppose her colorful floral scarf with the simplicity of the face. In the end, I decided to cut a template and print the background area with relief ink, again to oppose:  the light airy watercolor strokes with an opaque and solid rest area.  This is certainly unlike anything I have previously done....and, I can honestly say, I like it...this was the story that presented itself to me.

Thanks, Annie!

Tanner Redux

Tanner   watercolor   12.5 x 9

Our painting class so enjoyed Tanner in the fall that we invited him to be our model again this spring for two weeks...the first familiarizing and drawing; the second painting.  I am always so amazed at the "multiple looks" that every person conveys.  In this case, it hit me like a brick.  As a high school senior, Tanner's look has changed and he has visibly matured in the past several months.  His haircut different...more sophisticated.  And he posed wearing a bright yellow raincoat...fodder for any visual artist.  My painting was begun from life and completed with the aid of a photograph taken during the session.  Two sessions are always tricky...the skew of the head was somewhat different in the photo.  After the session, Tanner provided his own personal responses to each work...and showed himself to be incredibly observant and sensitive.  Congratulations on your graduation, Tanner!!! 

Tanner is off to Columbus College of Art and Design in the fall.

Scrabble King

Scrabble King   watercolor   13 x 10

Most of the watercolor portraits I have undertaken have been painted from life....from a model.  In our watercolor class, participating artists voted to attempt a portrait from a photo.  Of course, there are always pros and cons.  Painting from life offers up more in the way of interpretation and, for me, a much simpler way of seeing.  Painting from photos can get just too itty-bitty for me, as the work always progresses into finer and finer detail...towards the likeness offered by the photo itself.  The challenge in painting from a photo, for me, is to keep the work expressive and fresh, when re-painting passages is always an option.  Painting from life usually doesn't offer enough time for the portrait to be overworked.  I chose to paint mon mari, and snapped a photo just after he had triumphed in our winter-nightly game of Scrabble.

The beard is the white paper which has been cherished and retained.  The hat and shirt have been kept simple.  I am pleased.

Model Night

Filling In   watercolor   10 x 10

Tonight is Model Night, the first Wednesday of the month, at my club, The Akron Society of Artists. It's my favorite........drawing or painting from a live model. Although it would seem otherwise, it most definitely involves a silent communication between the model and each of the artists who works to capture his/her essence. When I get a good feeling from the model, I receive an empathic feeling that helps me commit to the work and, I believe, makes me more receptive to what it is about the model that is his or her genuine essence or beauty. "Filling In" was painted many years ago....our model didn't show up and a newcomer freely took the model stand. I have thought about her and her wistful essence throughout the years. She used makeup tubes from her bag to create art. Her husband picked her up at precisely 10 pm. She shared a bit of herself with me and, although I don't know her name, we were connected for three short hours.

White Shirt and Tie

White Shirt and Tie   watercolor   8.5 x 6.5

As I look over the images of my many paintings, I am drawn to some in particular. Painting from a live model can provide the ultimate of human experiences....a true communion with another individual. Robert reminded me of an era gone by, the era of my parents. Great dignity. Work Ethic. A White Shirt and Tie. Years later, Robert's wife Violet called and had saved up enough money to buy the painting. When I delivered it, I was treated to their life experience.....gardens and plantings inside and out, each with a story. In fact, Robert had written a book about his gardening and the trusty spade that he had used throughout the years. When I look at the image today, I realize that I gained so much from the painting (verb) of Robert. Dignity.

zen mind...beginners mind

Turnabout Carducci   watercolor/gouache   20.5 x 26

It is difficult to enter into a beginners mind when painting is what you do daily. What a paradox it all is! You spend hours and hours solving complex visual problems. It should then follow that painting would become easier and problems would be resolved more quickly.....more "quality works" would result...right? WRONG. In looking back over my many paintings, there are a few that have a certain something, a "je ne sais quois", that make them appealing, holding up to the years of work and accumulation of knowledge and rules. "Turnabout Carducci" is such a painting. It was painted in 1999. It is a painting of my friend and colleague, Judith B. Carducci, who is usually the one doing the painting rather than the posing. "Turnabout Carducci" is in the permanent collection of The Ohio Watercolor Society. The permanent collection of the OWS will be on exhibit November 7 from 6-8pm in collaboration with "Watercolor Ohio 2008". The collection will be shown at Fort Hayes Arts & Academic High School, Shot Tower, 546 Jack Gibbs Boulevard in Columbus.