Monthly Studio Update - May, 2002

 

 

MONTHLY STUDIO UPDATE: May 2002

Non-Studio Updates:

Yesterday, April 30th, I bought some material and hung it as a sun screen for my courtyard. Today I bought a few small basil plants at the farmer's market and planted them in the tripod in the courtyard's corner. Starting now, the courtyard will be my dinning room until late September, which coincides with the growing season for the basil.

 

My article, Pandora's Box Part I, is part of series that will be in the next issue, #52, of The Free Radical.  The series will start with the dark and depressing side of postmodern art and go on to exciting alternatives that are in the making now.  You can subscribe to The Free Radical here.

The web stats for April were the best so far at over 1,800 visits and over a 1,000 individual visitors.  Delightfully ironic is that many referrals via the search engines are people looking for postmodern essays and work. :)

 

Studio Updates:

Since I am showing home photos here is my studio.  Unfortunately, because of the brightness you cannot see the spectacular view of the Medieval Town of Rhodes and sea off to the left.  The house is on the high part of town and the studio is slightly cantilevered out over the town.

 

 

 

 

Venus continues to move slowly along but reassuringly forward.  From last month's image I did in fact tone down the orange highlights on the rocks giving them a slightly pinkish quality.  I also added a lot of blue into the shadows of the rocks.  This did three things: it got the colors away from being orange highlights and brown shadows, which is a very heavy color combination. And 2nd, it gave a more airy quality, a lighter quality to the painting.  Lastly, the added blue in the shadows gave me the feeling that the sunset glow was really glowing on the rocks.  The model will be coming in to pose once a week now.

 

 

I have repainted Artemis's leg several times and now I am very happy with colors.  I want them to convey heat, kind of like the blushing result of day out in the sun, and the body as brought some of the sun indoors.

 

 

 

This is a pastel that I began many months ago and the other day I saw it uncovered and I knew what I wanted to do with it. Below is what I drew earlier this morning just before taking all the photos for this update.   I wanted the background lighter than her face and hand, she is in shadow.  I would like the model to come back one more time and make the last touches then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is probably difficult to see in this pastel but there axis lines everywhere lining up points on her face and body.  What is kind of strange and fun that this is a very sensual pose but to initially make it work   she must be in proportion, which is very analytic work.  There is a lot of visual measurement, charting the ends of the elbows, the tip of the nose, the point of the corner of the mouth, and the bridge of the nose. Its like mapping out the positions of the stars in the universe.  The axis lines will disappear underneath the future overlay of colors as I work more on her.

 

 

 

White Jar in the Classical Style, acrylic on canvas board, 14 x 18", 2002.

Lastly, I have brought over from April's update this recent work, White Jar in the Classical Style.  I think I can still consider it an update, it is only ten days old. :)  It is also available for purchase at www.RomanticRealism.Net

 

That is all for May, unless I finish up something and can't wait to post it.