11/27/2005: "Some new paintings..."

Here are a couple of the new paintings I've been working on, each of these is 18"x24". I have done *17* new paintings so far this month...and I don't even have a show coming up! I feel this crazy energy and yet tomorrow I have to go back to my "real job". I enjoy what I do at the University but sometimes I envy people Like Howard Penning who have the courage to give up job security to spend more time in the studio. Until I can make that move, I'll just have to make as much time for painting as possible.

Email from the guy I mailed the large commission to: "The local artist I took it to for framing etc. commented on the excellent job you did in preparing it for shipment." so...another reason to be happy.

I ended up putting the painting on a sheet of unprimed canvas and then rolled it around a cardboard tube from JoAnne Fabric's (image side facing out) and then shipped it inside a box with the stretcher bars). It was a real relief that it made it to MN undamaged.

Oh, and the following images are *not* finished, there are all kinds of things I need to fix, like the huge lips on the blonde, the doped out expression and the chin of the woman with the purple background (as well as fixing the rocks that appear to be jutting from her abdomen and under her arm pit) etc. But, it's enough to give you an idea of the direction I'm heading.

painting-woman-blonde-hair-blue-eyes (68k image)

nude-woman-red-hair-overlooking-Gastineau-Channel-Alaska (59k image)

painting-nude-woman-over-glacier-purple-sky (72k image)

nude-woman-overlooking-glacier-in-alaska (69k image)

Replies: 12 Comments

on Sunday, November 27th, elaine said

Well Elise,I hav'nt been on your blog for a while, and i want to tell you that your not just a brilliant artist.Your a very special person...all you do,all of your thoughts touched me a lot...And the way you write your journal too.
Your last paintings are great!

on Sunday, November 27th, Howard said

I love the colours on these ones. The body shape and face on the second is quite interesting.

on Sunday, November 27th, Elise said

Thanks Elaine, that really means a lot to me! I think your paintins are really wonderful as well. Those vinegar drawings were really interesting too.

And Howard, I think that second one is my favorite of these four as well.

on Sunday, November 27th, Kasia said

I haven't been here for a while. My life has been pretty hectic. Nevertheless I'm back and I love your paintings!!!

on Sunday, November 27th, Elise said

Hi Kasia,
I checked out your blog a few times and noticed you weren't updating it. I figured things must have gotten really busy with your job but it's great to hear from you again and I'm happy that you like the new paintings.

on Monday, November 28th, greg said

ditto with elaine :)

These are looking outtasight! That second one looks done to me!

The lips one makes an interesting focal point. They are after all, very well rendered ... but you probably reworked already!

did you hire models for these or what?

Glad to hear the shipping went well. Sounds like you nailed it! I hope you get a framed photo back of it to show us!

on Monday, November 28th, Elise said

Thanks Greg,
I haven't reworked anything yet, I'm going to let everything dry first. My air purifier *still* hasn't arrived so I'm only painting with walnut oil, which takes a long time to dry even with the alkyd.

I still haven't hired a model...I usually look at a lot of photos online and in my various books of artist models...and do rough sketches of interesting poses I find; somtimes I'll use a hand from one photo, a face from another, and sort of Frankenstein them together, that's why a head might look too small for a body etc. but it's an affect that I sortof like.

Then I scan the sketches into PhotoShop where I run various filters on them, change the direction they're facing, the light source, increase the contrast of the shadows and resize them.

When I have the photoshop thumbnails finished, I keep the image up on my computer screen and paint directly from that. By the time they're finished they don't look much like the original photos I looked at. 7 degrees of separation.

I also can draw the female figure from scratch in just about any pose you can imagine so sometimes I just make stuff up.

Having a model would be nice but I think I've just gotten comfortable working this way and I'm happy with the results so I guess I'll continue this way for awhile.

on Monday, November 28th, subi said

wow! their looking great! where do all of these women come from? that might be an interesting post? do you dream of them or do they come to you in a sort of vision? they are all so different looking, it's so amazing to me...all so physically different as well as emanating a 'different' feel, if that makes sense. oh, okay now i just read the other comments and am enlightened on the process! but either way, very cool.

on Monday, November 28th, Elise said

Thanks Subi...sometimes I do see things in a dream, or right before I fall asleep and I'll have to get up and sketch out my ideas, that happens a lot actually. Then later, if I need to, I'll take photos (or find them as described above) that are rough representations of what I saw in my head. Also, I do have friends model for me from time to time. J for example...I'll sometimes run into her in the store and I'll have my digital camera on me and I'll say "hey, would you mind holding your hand like this" or, "I need a 3/4 profile with light from the left" etc. She'll let me photograph what I need and then I sketch it out later. It might not actually look like her (or any real person) because while I'm painting, I make little changes to the facial features, hair color and eye color, and whatever else I feel like modifying. The women start out as an idea and sort of morph into their own person while I sketch and especially while I'm painting them. The finished painting never looks exactly like the Photoshop thumbnail.

Anyway, it's interesting to me too, why sometimes the images come out so easily and effortlessly and other times there is just blankness.

I suppose it's the same for writing?

on Monday, November 28th, Elise said

btw, remember when you sat for me? and you got frustrated because it didn't *look* like you (the hips were too big, brown instead of blond hair etc.)? Aside from C, I have never really painted representationally.

on Monday, November 28th, ann said

Elise, I love these paintings. I saw the 2nd one in person and immediately thought about saving to buy it... but, after seeing the others like it, I can't decide which one I like best...

on Monday, November 28th, Elise said

Wow Ann, thanks! I'm actually working on several more in this vein. Stop by my "studio" any time if you want to check them out in person (no pressure to buy, seriously...)
:D