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Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Sunday, March 24, 2013
The Pyk painting in progress
When I started the painting, I worked first with the photo in Adobe PhotoShop where I changed the composition a bit, turned it into a black and white photo and then made a grid over it for an easy transfer to the canvas.
Once I got to my studio I prepared the canvas. I first painted it red which I do with most of my paintings to give the final painting a sense of warmth. (Red also adds an energy to a painting that I guess I am addicted to!) Then I marked a grid over the canvas with chalk and blocked the whole figure in with purples, blues and greens. Unfortunately, I did not take a photo of the painting in the early stages so you cannot see how ghastly it looked! But believe me--the colors were not flattering to Madelein!
But the colors were chosen for a reason--I wanted to be challenged! I wanted to see if I could actually bring life and energy into a dark, shadowy painting of a person. I wanted to see if color could be the vehicle of transformation.
This painting is 11 x 14", in acrylics and at this point is unfinished.
Madelein Pyk
This is my first blog post. I want to use this medium to explain what goes on in my head when I paint. I'm doing this for you the viewer--so that you have glimpses of what is going on in one artist's mind as she works and also that you will see the process that goes into a particular painting.
But I am also doing this for myself. Often when I paint, if you asked me why I did something, like why I used a particular color, I probably wouldn't be able to tell you. It is an internal process--not something I have a lot of awareness of. So I am hoping the act of blogging, or writing down my thoughts will ultimately help me vocalize more, as well as understand better, that very personal journey that I myself take with each piece of art I produce.
The painting that I have started working on is of Madelein Pyk--a well-known Swedish artist. The photo that I am using as my reference was taken by my friend, Henry Greene--a photographer whose work I admire greatly. He and his wife met Madelein in Stockholm at a museum and they all ended up spending the day together.
I was drawn to this photo because of the vulnerability I see and also the determined spirit of the woman. To me, she looks like she was not about to back down on anything life gave her--even with the limitations of age. That is what I feel when I see the above photo. My challenge will be to capture those qualities in a painting.
But I am also doing this for myself. Often when I paint, if you asked me why I did something, like why I used a particular color, I probably wouldn't be able to tell you. It is an internal process--not something I have a lot of awareness of. So I am hoping the act of blogging, or writing down my thoughts will ultimately help me vocalize more, as well as understand better, that very personal journey that I myself take with each piece of art I produce.
The painting that I have started working on is of Madelein Pyk--a well-known Swedish artist. The photo that I am using as my reference was taken by my friend, Henry Greene--a photographer whose work I admire greatly. He and his wife met Madelein in Stockholm at a museum and they all ended up spending the day together.
I was drawn to this photo because of the vulnerability I see and also the determined spirit of the woman. To me, she looks like she was not about to back down on anything life gave her--even with the limitations of age. That is what I feel when I see the above photo. My challenge will be to capture those qualities in a painting.
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