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Mel Rothenburger – moving along


It’s been a few weeks since I worked on Mel’s portrait. A disconnect  between me and my original idea happens in these gaps of time and knowing this, I kept the painting in my mind as much as possible yesterday. Can’t say that really helped but it did cause some angst! You know the usual, how am I going to do ‘that’? ‘That’ being, the eyes, the cheeks, the hair etc. etc.!!! So in my fashion I just start squeezing out paint and make a mess on my palette and start with the eyes. When I can get the subject looking straight at me, that sets the stage for the play that follows. About 7 hours later there is a lot done, but it’s far from complete. His flesh areas are well developed but there’s clothing and the space around still in the toned stage.

Here’s how ‘he’ looks today and below, where I started from this morning.

More later…

 

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You think a painting is finished but…


This weekend is the start of the FCA Open Show and what a show it is!! Powerful work that has broad appeal. The size of the pieces even fit the room pleasantly!

Three judges came up from Vancouver, current president of FCA, Andrew McDermott SFCA,  Brent Lynch SFCA, and Rick McDiarmid, SFCA. In addition to judging award winners, they demo their painting methods, share some of the inner workings of how and why they paint the way they do, and provide us with critiques on work we choose to bring in. I find the latter especially valuable for my soul not only technically, but in the psychological and spiritual realm of my art-self. I hardly slept the night before the critique, not because it is a brutal experience but because a senior artist can really see where you are and that kind of scrutiny is like a knife cutting away self-delusion from reality. I’m sure I’m not alone when it comes to falling in love with my own work only to realize I was a fool, I fell too fast, the emotion blinded me of the flaws. Do I want to hear the truth in a few hours or do I want to stay in the reverie? I’ll only grow in truth.

I offered my latest pieces, the portraits of  Mark Recchi and Zofia Cisowski.

Although nothing was said about changing Mark’s eyes, they were caught in the dragnet of adjustment this morning. This is the third time I’ve ‘finished’ his eye and to make it easier for you to see the changes, they are posted top to bottom from most recent to older.

The critiques held much value and I agreed with what was offered. Not the painter nor the critic is right or wrong in this, it’s different visons and different viewpoints from different people. But in terms of a craft, there is so much I have to learn. Good, because I love a challenge!

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Jules – finished


I removed the earring, the lamp base, and the knob on the furniture because to me they were distractions. I left the pillow bright because I think it helps move the eye around the painting, and balances the light area in the top left corner.

Preparing this photo for you to view was a challenge because the contrasting blue and yellow fought for dominance it was either muddy blue or weirdly orange. It looks good here on my computer and I hope it does on yours too.

Julie, thank you for sharing your time and your home with me so that I could have this learning experience painting your portrait.

Jules, Oil on Canvas, Copyright M. Budreau 2012, 20″x 36″ SOLD

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Jules – 3


I did not have her eyes to connect with and this lack of connection became a dilemma that I struggled with for some time to overcome. I’m glad I had so much of the painting already developed because it motivated me to keep going. I loved the blue tones of the dress and decided to make the dress blue rather than going to the deeper black

The struggle to paint her face was not enjoyable but it was growth. I hope struggle isn’t written all over her  face (!)
At this stage I felt the earring and the lamp on the furniture were distractions.

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Jules – 2 toning stages


The dress and shoes she wore were black and I wanted blue undertones to come through as highlights. I used Burnt Sienna and Prussian Blue.

Here the values are enhanced and a bit if texture is added and it reads more three dimensional.

Now I’m getting down to discovering the real feel, building in local colour, texture.

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Jules – 1


Some time ago I posted a snippit of the painting called Jules, the snippit showed  just her hand, and I mentioned that the piece was entered into a show. As it turned out it was not accepted, however the painting is now sold. 

So I’ll share the progression of my first full body portrait with you. Here’s the sketch.

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Violin is “playing” for me


The painting, Violin #27, is a rendition of the 27th violin that was hand made by my deceased father.
This painting has been juried into the FCA Open National Show here in Kamloops at The Old Courthouse, and yesterday word arrived that this same painting has also been juried into the Still Life Show in Vancouver that will open May 15 at the Federation Gallery on Granville Island.
After coming through a bit of a dry spell, this is a reassuring change. Play on, play on!

 I invite you come out and view the 70+ paintings from artists from various points in Canada, at The Old Courthouse in Kamloops April 20-29, also, there are painting demos by Signature Federation members on Friday and Saturday April 20 and 21 at St. Andrews on the Square. for more info visit www.tnsc.ca

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Weekend update – Zofia


I didn’t post over the weekend, but I did paint on Zofia, here’s her eye, it has changed somewhat.

I stepped back a bit from the portraits this weekend because there are FCA shows coming up that I need to produce entries for. Being accepted into these shows brings me closer to the 8 points needed to qualify as AFCA, Associate Status. 

For a change of pace and colour, a river is partially drawn on canvas and some new ideas are incubating for a series. With spring here – yes, I believe it has arrived – there’s a bit of a battle inside about being outside mucking around in the gardens or staying indoors at the easel. I’m divided by two loves – poor me!

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Mark Recchi – completed


It’s been almost 2 months of attention on this portrait and it is done! It is the first of 12 for the exhibition in 2013. Since I’ve already posted his eye in a finished stage (click on April 6 on the calendar below, right) there is nothing I can post of him – sorry.

Well underway is Zofia Cisowski, and Mel Rothenburger is at the early painting stage. The canvas for Len Marchand is in the queue, it’s big. Soon I’ll have to get out and photograph more great people! Mark Madryga the Global TV meteorologist, for one.

Yesterday I needed a bit of a departure from the precision of faces and pulled out an old (probably a year ago) unfinished, canvas that had been tinted in Alizarin Crimson acrylic paint. It’s ok to paint oil over acrylic, so I used Burnt Sienna thinned with Gamsol and love the warm tea colours that emerged. It has just the feel I’m going for – love when that happens, doesn’t always. 

Below shows when I started applying the Sienna and then realized I hadn’t taken a picture of it for you yet! 

 

And here it is after all of the Sienna had been applied. Can hardly wait to bring it to watery life!