After a few days off from the DSM Art Festival Project I decided it was time to get started again. I've got some other work ready to jump on the plate and a show to hang at the West Des Moines Barnes & Noble, but I need to keep moving forward with my studio work too. Can't do much if you don't have any inventory, right?
Like I said, I've got a commission or two waiting in the wings. One of the prospectives is a cityscape of Des Moines that's going to pair up with another piece the buyers have already purchased. The other is a portrait. I don't normally do portrait work because it's my Achilles' Heel: My soft spot that I'm always favoring. This one is different however. It's for a charity event that's going to be held for the family a well-known Iowan who died recently (more later if that pans out). For a good cause I'm more than willing to make an exception and take a shot at a process in which I'm less confident.
I've been tossing around the idea of doing more figurative work, but I always shy away from portraiture. There are a couple of facial pics I've been sitting on that would make great paintings, but I've got to get over the idea that they'll wind up looking like hell. The last portrait I did was of a group of three children. All in all I'd say the piece was a success, but Wow was it a ton of work. Twenty six hours on a pencil drawing is a lot in my book. That doesn't even cover the facial studies I did of each child. I'm not even sure how long that would translate to in paint anymore. I've done some fairly successful portraits in pastel and charcoal, but the ability to paint faces in oils with any sort of skill seems to elude me. Guess I'd better study up. Time to learn some new tricks. This old dog could use a few anyway.
Cheers,
R
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment