Progress to Completion: Bad Luck Girls

"Bad Luck Girls"

36"H by 36"W, on canvas. 

(click for enlargement)

This is something I've started over the past weekend. If you look closely you'll see a discoloration in the surface, especially in the left side. That is because I have used acrylic matte medium to laminate four pieces of paper onto a canvas so that I could continue my drawing all the way out to the edges. Some of the matte medium has gotten on to the surface but it doesn't seem to affect the way the charcoal rubs onto it at all.

So far, work on the paintings in the studio is phenomenally slow, but I've been reassured by several people that it's to be expected so soon after having a baby. I have a play pen all set up, waiting for the day when he will tolerate being put down with some toys while I work. 


I've decided to keep updating this post with my progress. After four hours of painting, I've got this:

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Acrylic! For a brief moment with my napthanol red, I thought "Wow, just like my oils. This isn't at all hard." Sadly, the only reason the paint felt thicker and more buttery is because I've had the tube for five years. Once I moved to other colors it seemed thin and watery, so I'm thinking of getting a tub of heavy gel medium and seeing if that helps to compensate for the lack of texture. Maybe Golden's OPEN line will be more like what I'm used to. It's on my Christmas list.

Here it is after six hours of work:

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The lavender shoe at the top right seems badly drawn right now. I will come back to it after I get all the shoes blocked in. At this point all my concerns are about the technical aspects of the painting, and later, when I'm wrapping it up, I'll start to think about it as an art object, rather than something I'm working on.

I really should throw out my tube of cobalt blue. For one, I suspect it has actual cobalt in it, which is a toxin. But I'm stubborn, and despite a texture like blue plastic cottage cheese, I painted the blue satin shoes. Not nearly as finished, but at least they're blocked in.

Here's the completed piece:

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I have varnished this piece so it is incredibly difficult to photograph without having some light bounce off the surface.  I named it Bad Luck Girls primarily because of the open umbrella that served as the background to the still life. Also, there are thirteen shoes depicted in it, although one is incredibly hard to spot. 

6.5 in Gold

"6.5 in Gold"

11"H by 8.5"W, on wet media Dura-Lar. 

(click for enlargement)

This was done quickly with a favorite shoe as my model. I can't actually wear most of the shoes I've been painting, and this one in particular is so absurdly tiny that it should be relegated to the world of doll shoes. However, the label on the sole insists that this is sized six and a half.

I was invited to a contest put on by the makers of Dura-Lar film, and this is completed on their media. It is a very unusual surface to paint on; the brush seems to pull differently, as though the clear media were quite absorbent. The fact that I can paint on both sides of the surface was fun and liberating. It's a good thing that I have several more sheets to use up, but I am a little confused about how to handle the artwork once it dries. It seems to dislike tape, so I'm not sure a conventional mounting in a matt or frame will work.

Noema

"Noema"

30"H by 48"W, on canvas. 

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I very nearly sent this to the California state fair without a title. Now I'm playing the waiting game, hoping to hear back before the 15th, when the competition literature said results would be published. It's a huge relief to have it completed.

In Progress: Untitled 3 (shoes)

"Untitled 3 (shoes)"

48"H by 48"W, on panel. 

(click for enlargement)

This behemoth of a work has to be done by the 22nd of this month in order to be eligible for this year's State Fair Fine Art Competition. Unfortunately I'm still grappling with major revisions to my initial composition, which can be seen in earlier entries- the initial photo scrap can be seen here.

It's not the biggest work I've ever done, but it is probably the largest one to feature so much detail. There's very little resting space for the eye and the entire work is intended to be high in contrast. As a result, I can work on it closely, and back away about twenty feet to evaluate what I've done, but medium distance is difficult because there are so many areas that distract from the area I'm attempting to focus on. I've considered placing paper over some areas to keep it from distracting me, but because I tend to work all at once on my reds, grays, blues, etc., I need to be able to move from one area to the next quickly.

I've given a lot of thought to the titles for these shoe works, and nothing I've generated or heard has really stuck to the idea wall. Ferreting out a title is an arduous process, especially since "Shoes" strikes me as being far too simplistic.

In Progress: Untitled (shoes)

"Untitled (shoes)"

30"H by 48"W, on canvas. 

(click for enlargement)

The way the background looks at this moment is due to it being masked off by some paper that I'm using to make sure that the next step is the right one. I felt that the background needed a flat element but did not want to eliminate the blue power cord shrinking into the distance. Playing  with the idea of surface in a painting is an enjoyable exchange between the painter and the viewer for me- my goal is to amuse and entertain the viewer by playing on the anticipation of an artificially deep space and inserting a surprising element of flat pattern.

I have my doubts about this element of course; it could cause the painting to look too much like a decorator piece and take away from the pile of shoes in the foreground. I think if either of these things happens the solution is pretty clear- another coat of paint on the background.

In Progress: Untitled 3 (shoes)

"Untitled 3 (shoes)"

48"H by 48"W, on panel. 

(click for enlargement)

I'm very happy with about 80% of this painting. The way I generated this image was by collaging photographs together, and I adored it at first. But the painting is now what I would describe as an endurance trial. Portions of it are complete, and I love how it looks as a small collage.

Whatever my next step may be, I'd like to preserve the diagonal movement. If it's possible to do so by obscuring some of the shoes and the edges to prevent an overload of detail and dominant areas of the painting.

In Progress: Untitled (shoes)

"Untitled (shoes)"

30"H by 48"W, on canvas. 

(click for enlargement)

I've had quite a break from the blog after the move, and I'm also quite pregnant, so my attitude towards painting has changed a bit. Oil paints aren't inherently toxic, but a lot of mine contain cadmium, cobalt, and even lead- and the Gamsol I use to clean my brushes is also hazardous to breathe. So when I paint now, I use no medium to thin my paint, and I use dish gloves on my hands to make sure that nothing toxic can get on my fingers or under my nails. As an alternative to Gamsol, I've been using baby oil to get the pigment out of the brush hairs and then some dish soap in the studio sink.

This painting has taken a long rest but yesterday I found myself re-mixing the colors for the electrical cords and redefining their edges. Now that they pop, I have a bit of work to do on a few of the shoes which haven't even received any paint.

I must also remember to bring my larger camera, as my cell phone camera seems to be very dark. For an earlier look at the same painting, check out this older entry here.

Untitled 3 (shoes)

"Untitled 3 (shoes)"

48"H by 48"W, on panel. 

(click for enlargement)

This painting is heavy. It dominates the corner of my studio, waiting and reminding me that I must finish it soon if I wish it to be on the fresh print run of business cards. While I work on other, more pressing projects, it looms and draws my attention whenever I glance at my supply corner.

I may call this about half-finished. Color is absent from too much of the darks, and a few spots are still simply sketches. The editing process begins as soon as I am satisfied with the way the whole is painted, and consists simply of emphasizing the areas which I feel deserve the eye's attention. It is easily the most meditative and difficult part of the painting process.

In Progress: Untitled 2 & 3 (shoes)

"Untitled 2 (shoes)"

24"H by 24"W, on canvas. 

(click for enlargement) 

"Untitled 3 (shoes)"

48"H by 48"W, on panel. 

(click for enlargement)

I wanted to play catch-up with these paintings, to get them to the same level as the first painting of the shoes. Of course, the first painting benefited from having a pthalo-greenish wash before I painted the subject at all. Once these three shoe paintings are of the same quality, I can then begin to pick out batches of shoes to detail and finish; all the red shoes at once, all the gold at once, all the black, etc.

The biggest dilemma is that I don't really know what to call these pieces. I have ideas about the titles, but I really want to make sure it fits just right so I'm holding off. In cases like this, I'll often write a prospective title repeatedly on a piece of paper and examine it. If I still feel satisfied after twenty times or so, the title will probably stick.

In Progress: Untitled (shoes)

"Untitled (shoes)"

30"H by 48"W, on canvas. 

(click for enlargement)

 

Still working on this one. I have noted that every time I feel like my strokes aren't going on the way I want them to, I feel like I should go brush shopping. Really, what I ought to do is learn to clean them a bit better. 

I'm not sure of the shadow colors in this one yet, and some of the spots haven't been added or their placement still eludes me. Now that some of the shoes are looking a lot more solid, it's easier to see what the result will look like. Tomorrow I hope I can get the background slapped on.

In Progress: Untitled (shoes)

"Untitled (shoes)"

30"H by 48"W, on canvas. 

(click for enlargement)

Still going really strong on this one. My Mondays are cut short at the studio, but the extension cords are finished and were very fun to paint. This painting has an issue I didn't really see until this point; the shoes on the left side are small in size, but shouldn't be quite as tiny as they are. I'll have to correct that when I paint on top of the drawing. 

I'm ready to paint more on it as soon as I get up in the morning. This is going very quickly compared to some of the other ones I have languishing in the studio.

In Progress: Untitled (shoes)

"Untitled (shoes)"

30"H by 48"W, on canvas. 

(click for enlargement)

This is a pile of shoes with a couple of electrical cables piled on top of a mattress.  I had a really good groove going with this by the time I was done today. So good, actually, that I didn't really notice that I was clenching my jaw and leaning heavily to the left. Forgetting to move and above all, relax, is a sign of a good painting, or at least it means that I'm passionate about it. It also means that I might be found laying on the floor tomorrow, trying to get my back to go back to where it should be.

Here is a reference collage I've made of the same subject:

(click for enlargement)

 

Just drawing these absurd little graceful objects brings me more joy than wearing them possibly could.  Another series of paintings? Well, yes. I've got nothing but time until I start making a realistic income with my painting, so I may as well put my eggs in a lot of baskets.