This here cow girl that I painted from a live (not stuffed or from a photo) model about a month ago, is finally completed (this time with the aid of a reference photo that I snapped at the time of the model session). When I was painting her, a father and his little daughter came up to observe. The daughter said, "Why are you painting a boy?" I told the little rug rat to buzz off! But she was correct. I painted the cow girl's chin to look like Jay Leno giving her a distinctly cow BOY look. I corrected that in my studio. Hope Dad's little precious is not turned off to artists and their art.
You can see my start and midway efforts here. I paint the big picture first before I begin to refine. Always the "big picture first" is my mantra, cow boys and cow girls.
Painted on un-stretched canvas taped on a wood board.
This here cow girl that I painted from a live (not stuffed or from a photo) model about a month ago, is finally completed (this time with the aid of a reference photo that I snapped at the time of the model session). When I was painting her, a father and his little daughter came up to observe. The daughter said, "Why are you painting a boy?" I told the little rug rat to buzz off! But she was correct. I painted the cow girl's chin to look like Jay Leno giving her a distinctly cow BOY look. I corrected that in my studio. Hope Dad's little precious is not turned off to artists and their art.
You can see my start and midway efforts here. I paint the big picture first before I begin to refine. Always the "big picture first" is my mantra, cow boys and cow girls.
Painted on un-stretched canvas taped on a wood board.
17 comments:
Amazing how you used that strong blue above the hat to create the feeling of hot sun on her. How in the world did you make that work? It's wonderful.
your portrait is fabulous I love the light on her nose.
Question why the taped canvas on the board ?
love the play of light and shadow and the textures!
So well done! Interesting to see the stages. Love to see all of the strokes and colors you used in the final version.
John Singer Sargent said that a portrait is a painting in which something isn't quite right around the mouth.
Well you found the 'isn't quit right and fixed it. Yahoo!
I think you fixed her good Dave! Nice portrait!
Sandy, I simply felt that it would compliment her skin tones, and I'm currently in love with that color.
Dominique, Good question. I did this at a regular monthly model session at a fellow artist's studio. That particular session, I simply wanted to drop by and say hello. One of the artists said "No! You must join us" I said that I did not bring my painting kit, and she proceeded to lend me an extra set of materials including a non-stretched, floppy canvas. I had to tape it to a flat wood panel to support it. Used some 3M blue painters tape!
Meera, Yea, the lighting on her face underneath the cowboy hat was great.
Lifeartist (Davida), Well, thanks, I guess. If Mr. Sargent thought a good portrait was something not quite right around the mouth, then I want to paint like that. Sargent is one of my fav. portrait artists.
Dan, thanks, pard!
Thank you, Robin! I do appreciate that.
Your work is wonderful; I especially love the mastiff below (I think it is a mastiff; maybe a Dogue de Bordeaux?)...
Autumn Leaves, I'm not at all sure what the breed is as I'm a cat person. I do know what his name was. It was Bogus.
This one is killer, Dave!
Hi David,
I love to watch your progressions. A brave act to share what you do. Your progressions have a clean logic I admire, and the finished work is a beauty. We forget when we look at art that most of it was produced with a commenting family coming in and out and pronouncing. Sometimes they're right, and sometimes they're wrong.
Happy Holidays.
Take care,
Barbara
Barbara, My best critic is my wife and 98% of the time, she is right in the points she makes about my art but once in a blue moon....
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