Anton - Young Canadian Opera Singer

I love painting from life, but in an ideal world I would have at least 6 hours (and preferably much more than that) rather than a mere 2 hours or so (of actual painting time) to achieve an alla prima painting. I think that is why a lot of artists choose to draw in this situation because you have time to get the drawing right or work on color - try to do both and you are doomed!

Even the top portrait painters in the world often don't nail the likeness right away. That is what I remind myself so I don't sink into despair and burn down my studio.

I started this painting with a wipe-out and achieved an image that looked somewhat like this handsome young man, but everything was just a little off. Group situations are tough, because you have to squeeze in wherever there is a spot and sometimes you are quite a distance away. I won't even get into my eyesight - I don't want to be classified as a complaining curmudgeon, although I think I am rapidly approaching that status. Just when you start to know what the heck you are doing you start losing your faculties.

I also decided to cool the background, so instead of a warm brown it is now a mauvey grey, which brings forward the warm skin tones of my subject.

So, I ended up reworking the likeness from a photograph after the fact, but something still was not right. I lined up my computer screen with the painting and, from a distance, finally saw that I had his eyes too close together and now, voila, after about 6 hours or work, here is Anton.

Portrait Society of America - Cecilia Beaux Forum Mentoring Program

Recently I received some great news - I have been chosen to participate in a mentoring program, which is a project of the Cecilia Beaux Forum, a subgroup of The Portrait Society of America.

The program was developed to support the aesthetic and technical growth of female figurative artists. The program starts on October 1 and will last 9 months.

I am very excited about this opportunity!

Painting from Life - Portrait Society of Canada open studio session

This young man, Anton, is an opera singer.

He has quite a distinguished air, even at his young age and it was fun painting his portrait!

Make Your Own Painting Box

For any fellow painters out there, here is a shot of one of my pochade boxes, used for plein air work.

If you would like more information about how to make one yourself, go to my other painting blog (for non-portrait work) for instructions and more photographs:

www.mcbrinepainting.blogspot.com

Technical Difficulties

Now that I have some paintings ready to post, my computer, along with all my photographs is out of service.

The AC adapter cord started making a weird buzzing noise and emitting an unusual smell. Not good.

We ordered a replacement last week, and it arrived early, but it turned out that Dell sent the wrong part. Arranging to send it back was a snap. However, it took 2 hours on the phone with Dell, getting transferred at least 15 times, to finally order the right one (I hope) so if all goes well the correct one will arrive next week.

I am seriously considering crossing Dell off my list when I next shop for a new computer. Dell may be saving all kinds of money by outsourcing work overseas, but the customer service was horrendous.

When we were able to speak to a person who was actually in Canada (at about the one hour mark) she said there was nothing she could do and that she herself had been transferred several times trying to help us fix the problem.

Until then, I guess I better get back in the studio and get some work done!

My Not So Simple Life

Obviously, I have not posted here recently. We hope to be simplifying and downsizing soon, so I have been preoccupied with getting things sorted out. I have been painting portraits though and hopefully will get around to posting some of them soon!

Allison

I had to repaint much of this today after looking at it for a long time and finally realizing where I had gone wrong. Sometimes it takes a lot of looking to really see where the problem lies!

I neutralized the background and lowered the shoulders a bit to give a more elegant appearance to the portrait.

Adding the necklace was fun! You can really go wrong with jewellery if you try to paint it with a lot of detail, just a few fine strokes and a couple of highlights and you are done. Examining some of Sargent's work in this regard is always illuminating.

My 15 Seconds of Fame

In my quest to become not just a good portrait painter, but a well rounded artist, I have been doing quite a bit of plein air painting. I was recently photographed by a reporter and I made the front page!

Click here and scroll down to October 13, 2008 post to see the brief newspaper article and picture!

Yet another work in progress . . .

All of these paintings were started from sittings.

I am making a few adjustments to the likeness after the fact but trying to maintain the freshness from the initial painting session.

Linda

This is looking much more like my subject, but I can still see lots of changes I need to make!

Sunny

24x36 inches
Oil on Linen

Sunny - detail

Study from Life

I am going to be doing a rather large painting of this gorgeous young woman with her lap dog, Lucy.

I did a head study in about 2 hours in a south facing room.  The light was changing constantly and at about the one hour mark, the skies darkened and there was not only a thunder storm, but it HAILED as well.  I couldn't even see my paints since it became so dark in the room!  The result is not as wonderful as it might have been - I can see all kinds of mistakes, but for such a short time and using color rather than a monochrome sketch, it is not too bad - a fairly good start and it was great to have the time to stare at my subject and take in some impressions I can use later.  

Drawing - Graphite on Paper

Gorgeous Work by Cecilia Beaux

I was particularly happy to be able to attend the conference this year since the final days of a special exhibit featuring Cecilia Beaux were also happening on that weekend.

Portrait Society of America Conference 2008 - Philadelphia!

Dawn Whitelaw painting her Thursday evening demonstration. Dawn uses a only three colors and achieves gorgeous results. For more information about her method of painting, read my article about her portrait workshop at www.thinkingaboutpainting.blogspot.com.



I liked this bouquet of flowers in the lobby of the hotel.



Detail of the finished piece painted by Burton Silverman.



A split screen image during the demo by Burton Silverman.



Michael Shane Neal presenting information about portrait commissions from start to finish.





This photograph graphically illustrates a few facts:

1. I need a lens with a wider angle to photograph buildings;
2. Philadelphia is a city with gorgeous architecture;
3. Although photographs can be useful as a reference when painting, one should never, ever copy a photograph verbatim. I spot this kind of photographic distortion in paintings all the time now.

Back to the conference - in addition to all the information and suggestions from the platform, it was wonderful to be able to talk shop and share information and ideas with other people who share your obsession with art.

Getting Published

I just got word that two of my paintings are going to be published in the Richeson 75 Figure Portrait Competition hard cover book in the “Other Meritorious Entries” section.

Finished Oil Sketch of Vladimir

Oil Sketch

After working from life for a few hours, I got this far. Now, of course I can see all kinds of things wrong with it! The whole thing needs to be repainted.

Painting can be a bit like writing. Sometimes you just have to get a draft down, not worrying too much about perfection. Later you begin to edit.

Art and Fear

I have been wrestling with this painting for quite some time, with more time spent procrastinating than actually painting. Yesterday, finally, I repainted the whole thing again. It is tough at this stage where you have put a lot of work into a piece to obliterate it, which is where the fear comes in. You really need to let go of the fear and trust in your abilities. There are still some things that are bothering me and I may go back in once more for a few final tweaks, but I have definitely captured him. I really like the enigmatic expression and pose, which serendipitously resembles Da Vinci's most famous painting. My Gioconda.

The eyes were placed about 1/4" too high in the previous incarnation, so I had to paint out the upper half of his head and start over.    

Even John Singer Sargent, arguably the greatest portrait painter ever, scraped out heads over and over until he achieved what he had in mind, which makes me feel better about having to do so!

In painting portraits you start with a broom and end with a needle - from the general to the specific, and you can't fall in love with any detail until the whole is perfectly proportioned.

I am liking the Mona Lisa pose and tentative smile, although more work still needs to be done before I am happy with this one!

Here is what the painting looks like after a couple of painting sessions with a few weeks drying time between the layers.

It is possible to get young children to pose.  What you don't see in the photograph is the television behind me playing "My Fair Lady".  Depending on the taste of the child, it could be "Barney" or "Shrek" or something else, as long as it doesn't drive you, the painter, crazy. 

I started this painting many months ago.  It was based on a photo session back in March, so AJ's looks have changed somewhat (his face has lengthened and slimmed quite a bit) and I see lots of changes I need to make in the painting.  Painting really is just a series of corrections.  You try to just get something down, rather than freeze up in fear of getting it wrong, and then change what you don't like until you hopefully have what you set out to accomplish.  

AJ took breaks and I did not require him to hold completely still, since I was looking at him mainly for information about color and value.  

AJ with Shouldice, Sam and Freddy Goss McGoodle

14 x 18
Oil on Panel (Belgian Linen on Gatorboard)

I often start an indoor sitting this way in order to quickly establish the masses of light and shadow and get the drawing on the canvas before addressing color.

William

William: First Lay-In of Color

William: Monochrome Drawing to Begin the Painting

BRUCE

16 x 20 inches, oil on canvas

I particularly enjoyed painting this handsome gentleman, as it was the first time I had an opportunity to paint someone with a beard. Some skill is necessary to avoid having the hair look cut out and pasted on and restraint was necessary when painting the white hair in shadow.

Here is a photograph of the model and painting about halfway through the process.  

ERIN

9 x 12 inches, oil on panel

Love this kind of rim lighting - very dramatic!

Geneen - Oil Sketch from Life

This past weekend, I had the privilege of studying with the wonderful painter, Mr. Everett Raymond Kinstler at The Art Students League in New York City. Mr. Kinstler is one of the foremost portrait painters in the United States and has painted numerous celebrities, politicians and presidents. He is also a really nice guy and gives constructive criticism to help other painters improve their work.

Here Mr. Kinstler is nearing the completion of his oil sketch of the lovely Johanna Spinks (who is a portrait painter from California).  Mr. Kinstler stressed the importance of capturing the effect and feeling of the model before worrying about the likeness.

Everett Raymond Kinstler

Mr. Kinstler's palette - some of the colors were:
 
Burnt Umber, Sap Green, Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean Blue, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red Light, Raw Sienna, Cadmium Yellow Light, Titanium White

He also uses Burnt Sienna and Black.

Julia - 14x18 oil on canvas

New Brother - 12x16 oil on panel

New Brother - Oil Over Acrylic Without Worries!

I started this painting a very long time ago in acrylic. I was never happy with it, especially the background and composition, so I sawed a few inches off the bottom of the board and have begun to re-paint it in oils. I put a layer of matte medium, which has the same texture as acrylic gesso, over the acrylic painting to ensure the mechanical bond will be sufficient. Doing this gives me a fresh start on the panel. Painting over regular acrylic paints with oils is not a good practice archivally, especially over a flexible support, such as stretched canvas, as the layers will probably suffer delamination at some point in the future. The reference for this painting was obviously a photograph, however, I also had my children, who are years older now, pose in the same light, in the same position so I could get more information. I find that working from a computer screen, using several different shots, rather than a printed photograph, and using what I have learned by working from life, gives me the information I need. Photographs lie about value (either the lights or darks tend to not show the necessary detail) and especially color. Although I am going for a kind of dreamy, impressionistic feel in this piece, once this first layer is dry, I will refine the image and improve the transitions between tones.

Oil Sketch - Oxana

Oil Sketch - Lorain

A few times a year, some of the members of the Portrait Society of Canada get together at The Arts and Letters Club to paint for a few hours at a time. This is a lovely model who posed for us when the fantastic painter Yuqi Wang was with us. With such a limited amount of time, it is difficult to get the painting to the level I would like, so sometimes I take a couple of photographs so I can tweak the likeness a bit later on.

Fiona

Sketch of a lovely nine year old girl.

Warrior

Modelling features outdoors in shadow is very challenging as it is necessary to work with a very narrow range of values and use color temperature, as opposed to value changes, to help differentiate various planes of the face. The planes that face upward tend to reflect the cool bluish tones of the sky, while the planes facing down reflect the greenish-yellow of the grass. Light is bouncing everywhere, is very intense and you rarely paint anything in the local color.

Warrior: Second layer of Color

Although I have put some detail in the background, I am trying to keep it subdued - try squinting at the painting and you will see that the values in the background are all in the same range, as they disappear into one dark mass. If you look at the work of great portraitists, such as John Singer Sargent (in his painting entitled The Wyndham Sisters, for instance) you will see this kind of value massing employed in order to make the subjects stand out. The eye of the viewer always returns to the place where there is the greatest contrast and I have made sure that is at his head. There is still a lot of work to be done, especially with regard to the figure itself, as the likeness needs work as do the values. When working in layers, oil paint needs to dry for a few weeks between layers to prevent sinking (dry patches) and also to allow time for the artist to study what needs to be done. This means that the painting takes hours and hours of work, but the final result is worth it! I am happy so far with the composition, as there are a lot of interesting diagonals, the foreground comes forward and the background goes back. The pot on the right is necessary to balance things.

Warrior: First Lay-In of Color

Unfortunately, it was pouring rain and I had to photograph this indoors, so the photograph leaves a lot to be desired.

Warrior - Initial Drawing

This painting is quite large - 30"x48", oil on linen, and the figure is almost life size. I have established the main placement and general plan, but I am sure there will be many changes, as this just gives me a general idea of where things will be and the approximate value. This boy's favorite toys are swords and boats so I chose the simplest weapon he owns (it's wood) and had to talk him out of a very large, ornate and glitzy plastic one. I am going to have the area of greatest contrast and definition at his head, the sweet spot, so the eye immediately goes there.

Alexandra: Sitting in Progress

Alexandra: Completed Oil Sketch

Moria: Painted from Life

Completed portrait of Moria, painted entirely from life sittings.

Moria's Portrait in Progress

Here is Moria looking at her painting in progress. This portrait was painted from life, but I also have a photograph available so I can check the drawing only (not color or value) when the subject is taking a break. Since photographs lie about value and especially color, working from life is the only way to obtain the very best result.

Moria: Initial Drawing

Initial drawing in raw umber. I don't always use this method, especially for plein air work, where I try to use a colorist approach and complete the painting "alla prima" since the light changes so quickly, and I try to get the color and value correct as quickly as possible. Starting with a monochrome wash-in allows me to concentrate first on the drawing, which is 90% of portraiture - if it doesn't look like the person, in my opinion, you shouldn't be doing portraits! My teachers have said I have a gift for likeness.

Brothers

Late afternoon sunshine and a happy moment frozen in time.

First Year

As a child, my strong interest in European History led me to start drawing copies of Old Master works from artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Hans Holbein. I had a natural ability to make perfect copies of these paintings and drawings, so I moved on to drawing portraits of friends and acquaintances. I received many awards and accolades for my artwork, with portraiture becoming my main interest.

Later, I pursued formal studies in painting and color, graduating from Sheridan College, and also studying with numerous artists who were skilled in painting and portraiture. I began painting with watercolor and then moved to acrylic briefly before turning to oil paint as my favored medium.

I strive to create beautiful, meaningful works of art, full of light and color using oil paint, while at the same time revealing the essence of the subject’s personality. The reason I now choose to work in oil for the most part is this medium has withstood the test of time and the paintings will last for hundreds of years, becoming family heirlooms. To achieve the best color, form and individuality, I prefer to work from life as much as possible. I usually choose to portray a life-size image that captures the person's likeness, while keeping the rest of the canvas impressionistic in order to highlight attention to the face.

My aim at this time is to continue to grow as a painter and artist. To this end, I continue to learn from established artists by taking workshops regularly and I often visit museums and galleries to study how artists of the past that I admire greatly (such as Diego Velazquez, John Singer Sargent and Cecilia Beaux) obtained their outstanding results. I believe that the artistic journey is lifelong and we need to continue to improve and hone our craft in order to have the tools to create meaningful paintings. This is what makes painting endlessly interesting. There is always room to improve. More than one person has said to me that it must be nice to have such a relaxing vocation. This comment always makes me laugh, at least inwardly, as nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the pursuit of my vision is often the most frustrating, aggravating torture. I am never completely satisfied and most paintings are not finished, but abandoned. However, this is what keeps a painter pressing forward, the fact that art is an absorbing pursuit with endless options, sometimes surprising results and occasionally the satisfaction of having achieved at least part of what you set out to accomplish with serendipitous surprises adding something more.

I am currently working on commissions, plein air paintings, still life and figurative pieces.