At a studio session with Suchitra Bhosle, I painted this portrait from our model Blair. This is the second time Blair has been our subject. This time Suchitra added a bit of a costume and a glass bottle as a prop. I didn't feel that I did well in the studio session. Time was even more limited than usual and I didn't feel that I had control of the painting when I left for the day. Fortunately I had a decent photograph of Blair and I decided to see if I could pull the painting out in my own studio. At first it didn't go well....I felt I was adding layer on layer of wet paint and everything felt mushy. Finally, gathering my courage....and fighting the urge to call it quits....I scraped the face area down with the edge of a palette knife, leaving just a ghost image. I started again, blocking in shadows and adding lights slowly.
I'm satisfied with the result. Mostly I'm glad I didn't give up on it. It is a much better feeling to see a painting through to an acceptable - if not totally successful - conclusion.
This is my final portrait of Blair. It's oil on canvas panel. 12 x 16.
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| Blair Oil on 16" x 12" RayMar canvas panel. |
My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art
