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Thursday, April 4, 2013

On The Easel


Self Portrait in Hood #2 IN PROGRESS, Charcoal
In progress is an important phrase, since very little has been in progress these last weeks.
I'm suspecting I chose this pose for all the prayers I've offered to Saint Anthony for getting
those photographs back.  Still no word. But life moves on.

After a painful lesson in graphics storage, the conclusion  reached was the nut behind the wheel didn't understand what  this gadget was and used it as a full time, accessible memory extension of her computer. Had she had an owner's manual to read, she might have gotten it and saved herself the suffering over the loss of digital photographs. After the horse has left the barn, this artist understands.

'But  on with  art and painting. A CANVAS FOR JD'S PORTRAIT  IS FINALLY ON THE EASEL. Being my first three quarter portrait in oils, he's going to take a while. But I will love every minute I spend with that beautiful boy.

While I work up the courage to begin, I'm fiddling about with another charcoal self portrait with that hood that fascinates me. Again I'm pushing  myself with a difficult head tilt. That's the stuff that keeps me  interested.

I am now almost back to healthy.  Would you believe that this whole season of colds, blues, vertigo attacks and just last week, emergency room gastroenteritis and dehydration was due to the sinusitis that settled into my system from that very first cold  I got coming off the plane from Mexico.  I'm finally on antibiotics and on the mend. My energy is back and I'm finally thinking about art again.  (Being in the ER, I missed my art and business workshop, much to my disappointment, but I'm picking up the notebook the leader put together tonight).

As for the photos, they are gone or they are not; I haven't heard. But for certain I will be making new storage arrangements for graphic data--in the Cloud.  And it's time for a new computer with a bigger drive.


10 comments:

  1. Love the angle of the head in this, you do believe in setting yourself a challenge. You've got me on tenterhooks wondering whether any of your images have been saved.

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    Replies
    1. Haven't heard. Hopefully no news is good news. But whatever the news, it is time to move on.
      I don't like to do portraits that are portraits, i.e. formal poses. It's expressions that get me excited. Of course, there's only so many expressions I can capture using myself as the model. Eventually.I'll have to venture out into the world with my candid camera. To do that successfully, I have to be adept at quickly zooming in. Expressions are fleeting.

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  2. I have everything crossed that your photos are retrieved...... Love the charcoal SP. Do you use mirrors or a photo? Difficult angle either way but I sure relate to your interest! If it's quirky I love it! And quit the procrastinating re JD, I am eagerly awaiting progress.

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  3. Replies
    1. Feel free to be bossy. I am still unsure of the color of the toning wash. But the canvas is set up and I'm leaning towards a yellow green, an unusual color for an under-painting I imagine? But the light and consequently, his skin tones, are cool.

      I'm like you. I don't go for easy poses--too art class--to lifeless.

      In this charcoal pose,I could be the Madonna--but hardly likely given my unsaintly personality. I'm working from a iPad photograph that I flipped. I wanted her looking to the right. Notice how I've subtracted myself from the model. Nothing personal here. Just drawing.

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    2. Like the yellow-green idea...I've never used that colour anywhere....should be interesting. Shouldn't the underpainting be the opposite to the finish? Who said that?....uuummmm........do we care? Think I'm stuck in a rut......same colours, same way, all the time! You got me thinking girl!

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  4. A beautiful expression, Linda! I find Charcoal SO difficult to paint with....this is excellent.
    I would love to do a self-portrait but is cheating allowed? LOL. I hope you find your photographs..!!

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    Replies
    1. What did you have in mind? Charcoal isn't difficult IF you don't mind getting dirty. It is so movable and forgiving. It can be shoved around and wiped up or wiped off. I find it very friendly when working out points, planes and proportions--as long as you don't mind getting dirty. It's smokey quality is attractive too. Of course, I'm talking about vine or willow sticks, not the pencils. Those have a harder quality. I only use them for minute details, which I mostly downplay; it's the smudges that go together to form the image that satisfy.

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