Wednesday, January 14, 2009

New Scrape Back...new Rendering Session...oil painting of Beau























Well...okay...anytime I feel I've learned something
after 30 years painting and teaching art most my
adult life I come away feeling very fortunate.

Usually such comes in small revelations or epiphany
moments...and I'm not saying this will have changed
my way of painting, but it will definately become an
option for me now in my arsenal of approaches for
paintings in the future I feel may benefit. Sargent
did not pigeon-hole himself to one thing...painting
alla prima, painting in multiple sessions, and as I
read...also often scraping back.

After tonight's session...I'm actually impressed at the
quality of flesh that comes from this building up of
scraped layers. Mind you...I am yet painting only
with a very limited palette...that is, French Ultra-
marine blue, W&N Bright Red, Cadmium lemon
yellow, Naples Yellow, Indian Yellow and white.

The painting is not finished, nor should this session
really, but the cold and wind chill is dropping to from
25 below to about 50 below...and I really should be
heading home.

As I said...I'm pleasantly suprised, and pleased...

2 comments:

Unknown said...

You should be pleased. I think you are hitting on a very Cassatt-like look. The skin is definitely taking on a pearlescent tone and looks very fleshy. It seems to me that you are turing the form more with color than with value, are you not? i.e. the value range on the face is small, but the color and color temperatures change.

Larry Seiler said...

very perceptive, Jeremy...so, thought I'd add a grayscale to compare in a new post!! Thanks...