On the Vine

I painted the lovely vine tomato painting again and am 'gifting it' to a new friend. Ah, living color!

Colora

Here she is in living color. Hmmmm, a whole new ball game and I'm not sure I like the score...but wait the game is not over. That's the beauty of oil paint - you can easily adjust it. And getting the likeness while in the studio earned me a score to be proud of.

Mona Lisa Revisited

Tonight I started a new canvas with brush and browns. I love charcoal and have tried to get the charcoal feel with my brush and paint here. Tomorrow is our last time with this model and I wanted to get a head start(so to speak.)

Next feat is to get the flesh tones I need. I remember the great patch of reflected light under her chin - a warm red from the yellow and crimson shawls she wore. Also a bit of greyed smoky blue above left brow and under nose. Overall her complexion is a rosy brown with ivory tones. She must have taken a time machine from Leonardo's day.

Thought I'd better take a photo of this. Tomorrow with paint will be a whole new ball game.

Muse

Last Friday the studio model was exceptional not only for holding her pose but for her Mona Lisa gaze. We all really enjoyed her and will attempt to convey her likeness again Friday. I have a bit too much white in her skin tone and will get a better palette ready for Friday.

Figure in Landscape

A painting friend asks "Do landscape paintings need figures?" Well, ask any artist and get a different answer. As with color and just about anything in art, there are few rules. Artists who 'think outside the rules' seem to be the ones we get excited about.



In this painting(dim due to not good lighting here - sorry, it's a gloomy day) I originally had no figure other than that of Pan atop the fountain. But the backlit light hole right of the fountain (see picture two posts ago) seemed ripe for something. Of the many figures walking by I thought a mom with baby in stroller would be nice here. When I stood back, the 'mom' looked more like a child in stature. So, I quickly moved head and hat and voila now I seem to have a 'dad' pushing a baby.



All this, Sarann, just to say that I think the main purpose that figure serves in landscape is to enhance the landscape rather than draw much attention to the figure. As in your painting of the pavillion, you used figure to help define foreground, middleground, etc. and in mine I used figure to balance the composition.

Trees along the Carriage Lane

My sister's post today is about trees. http://pvedesign.blogspot.com/2009/08/trees-of-life.html I'm a tree lover as well.
I'm posting this painting of mine from last Fall at the Horse Park in Lexington Ky. Horse drawn carriages ride down this lane in the shade of the large trees there.