"The Private Joke" oil on wood panel 12 x 12 I'm in the process of painting a commissioned portrait for the friend of a friend. Our first conversations dealt indirectly with the issue of the unity of medium and subject matter. She had looked at my website and realized immediately that there were some portraits which would not accurately reflect the gentle nature of her mother; in particular, she did not want the style of "The Private Joke," which I had painted of Jon.
You will note that this painting is done on a wood panel. While I gessoed the surface slightly, I deliberately left the grain because Jon's deepest soul is that of a nature-loving outdoors kind of guy. Whenever we have done remote wilderness canoe trips on big unpredictable rivers, I am a trembling mess while Jon becomes almost meditative. One of our family jokes is that, when I complain of hypothermia, Jon's inevitable and honestly-puzzled reply is "I'm toasty." The bigger the physical challenge, the more relaxed he gets. When his all-male canoeing group trip whitewater, he's usually the one to run the loaded canoes through the white water while the others portage. I treasure the several pictures I have of this; his face glows with exertion and happiness. There's something of that look in this portrait. Picture a paddle down to the left.
So, using a rough substrate and dark colours was the right choice for my beloved, who is enjoying a completely satisfactory (because active) moment. While both Jon and the subject are quiet and private, her version is the feminine one. I am working on that portrait now and muttering "soft" and "gentle" to myself. To begin with, the canvas is much smoother than the wood.The colours will be feminine rather than high-key, the edges soft and even lost at times. I'm still deciding how much or how little to detail her sweater, which has strong contrasts in it; my inclination is to render it by suggestion. I think it will be titled "Quiet."
And just so you know that I didn't forget that promise in April (just misplaced my notes), here are four French artists who rendered skin tones brilliantly: Caillebotte, Ingres, and early Renoir (at least in "Young Boy with Cat).
You will note that this painting is done on a wood panel. While I gessoed the surface slightly, I deliberately left the grain because Jon's deepest soul is that of a nature-loving outdoors kind of guy. Whenever we have done remote wilderness canoe trips on big unpredictable rivers, I am a trembling mess while Jon becomes almost meditative. One of our family jokes is that, when I complain of hypothermia, Jon's inevitable and honestly-puzzled reply is "I'm toasty." The bigger the physical challenge, the more relaxed he gets. When his all-male canoeing group trip whitewater, he's usually the one to run the loaded canoes through the white water while the others portage. I treasure the several pictures I have of this; his face glows with exertion and happiness. There's something of that look in this portrait. Picture a paddle down to the left.
So, using a rough substrate and dark colours was the right choice for my beloved, who is enjoying a completely satisfactory (because active) moment. While both Jon and the subject are quiet and private, her version is the feminine one. I am working on that portrait now and muttering "soft" and "gentle" to myself. To begin with, the canvas is much smoother than the wood.The colours will be feminine rather than high-key, the edges soft and even lost at times. I'm still deciding how much or how little to detail her sweater, which has strong contrasts in it; my inclination is to render it by suggestion. I think it will be titled "Quiet."
And just so you know that I didn't forget that promise in April (just misplaced my notes), here are four French artists who rendered skin tones brilliantly: Caillebotte, Ingres, and early Renoir (at least in "Young Boy with Cat).
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