Today, after a day of teaching painting classes, a fellow artist joined me in painting from a model. We only had about two hours to work, before dark. I really enjoyed working, time flew, and dusk came quickly. So, the photo was shot in the fading light, and you can see that the back is unresolved, about two thirds down- I have to wait til next time.
I’ve brought in more definition in the figure, by painting in the light and shadow. The light paint is applied heavily, with a generous build up of lead white paint, while the shadows are thinly applied, luminous, to allow the dark of the initial ground to show through. While I bring in more information, I’m very concerned with retaining the initial, quiet impression. That’s where the balance lies- just enough information to get the story across, little enough information so as to not distract. It’s so easy for me to ramble on for hours in a painting, and it’s so hard to achieve the understatement, the Gettysburg Address, rather than the two hour speech beforehand.
