Most of my work lately has been focused on working with my collection of art pottery. I find the forms and colors very strong elements to work into compositions and 'pot portraits'. In discussing this--and cats and words and house paints and all kinds of other topics-- with my friend Elaine I mentioned that I also collected globes. She said "Image- you held in the surround of globes." I was struck with that particular string of words and it kept rattling around in my head.
I was starting to collect together some ideas for exploring this word image when I happened across Alice Thompson's new challenge blog Calypso Moon Artist Movement. The first challenge was to do a self portrait using Black, White and one single color of choice. Van Gogh for inspiration. I thought I'd pass on this one as I was planning on starting another group of paintings and I am not at the moment taken with Van Gogh Portraits. I've been in a Vermeer frame of mind lately. But my globe lamp, my nearly global white swirly urn, my big glass marble ball started leaping around in my field of vision and I quickly changed course. No, I don't mean I had to dodge the leaping moderately valuable collectables! This was figurative or metaphorical leaping of ideas only, I'm ok! So with a quick look at Van Gogh I went ahead with a more Vermeerish layering of space and started "self portrait in the surround of globes". 
The one color? Torquois-y blue like the globe? Too chilly. The shade on the lamp is a lovely rust color which lead me directly to Burnt Sienna. As you can see, I started with a clear direction and was going to make a quick sketch of it but I dawdled and got too much paint on the itty bitty canvas so I let it sit over night. First thing this morning, I sat down to look at it before donning my white painting shirt and it was clear that this needed to be a black turtleneck portrait.Conte pencil rough-in.
I have no idea who the ghastly nearly dead looking guy in the white shirt is. Oh...its supposed to look like me. Scrubbed out the face as it was out of control.
oil on 5x7 canvas board
mars black, titanium white, burnt sienna.
The next day I had a brush with some white paint on it and couldn't help fixing that face a bit. Photo is better now that the paint has dried a little and not reflecting so much canvas texture.
and then I had to add the missing color.
Through the looking glass. So many items and shapes repeated and reflected tell me how this lady thinks. Interesting how she is surrounded by all of her things in this way.
ReplyDeleteI read that you were not taken with Van Gogh portraits at this time when in fact this piece could arguably be related to his Dutch Period. Thank you Kayln for your submission.
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ReplyDeleteKaylyn, I like the way you switch gears throughout the process. You made some good decisions, and the painting looks great. I also liked your comment (Mark's blog), about even one colour turning to mud and had to laugh..right on! Got that Tshirt, and more than a few paintings to prove it.
ReplyDeleteVern, Thanks, I think that when you see a mistake happening you oughta fix it. The converse rule of art (and life, maybe, too): The more mistakes we make, the better we get....The better we get, the more mistakes we see.
ReplyDeleteI think you have an idea there. Paint Mud t-shirts! slogan "Hey, I can make mud with only one color!" Definitely a niche market, but those who get it would get it.
Oh I enjoyed the journey thanks so much for sharing! Good move about switching shirts! I very much like your approach to the challenge - well done!
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying how the information of the light changes registers in the sequence of the painting.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the mention Kaylyn. Now I see what you mean, of who started this!
Earthula...I can't seem to set up an interesting still life environment with one light. And I deal with a lot of light changes with eastern windows. So a lot of my work has a lot of bouncing light and multiple shadows. I've come to embrace and look for that. Glad you noticed!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your journey and decision making while working on your self-portrait. I like the mix of warm and cools and the globes are a nice addition...great job, Kaylyn!
ReplyDeleteKaylyn, my husband always has "helpful" comments to make, too. Today he wanted to know *what* shirt I was wearing in mine. (his intonation implying it was the dumbest looking shirt he'd ever seen in real life or on canvas)
ReplyDeleteYour painting makes me want to know you better, and your comments make me feel like we're going to have some fun on Alice's site. I need one of those mud from one color shirts, too! (ochre from red?!)
Kaylyn, I, too, have an affinity for spheres and globes. I just bought a beautiful 6" crystal ball on One Kings Lane last week. Thanks for sharing your creative process, it is fascinating to see how others get from point A to point B. I need hardly tell you I approve of the black turtle neck, being an old beatnik. Gotta beret hanging around somewhere?
ReplyDeleteMark...Thanks for visiting. I specifically asked for a black beret for Christmas. Alas, you didn't get the message... :)
ReplyDeleteHi Kaylyn - Thanks for visiting my blog and bringing me to yours... the pleasure is mine! I echo Camille - both your paintings and your comments make me want to follow your work... a kindred spirit and fellow mud-maker...I think this will be fun!
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I can't see all the photos in this post--I can only see the final one. I think you've done an exceptional job of your self portrait!
ReplyDeleteOh crud! I was looking at Picassa and it grabbed all of my images...I deleted these from another album and it looks like it took them from everywhere. I don't think I like Picassa very much.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the headsup, Celeste.
There you go!...from 'a study' to a finished work.
ReplyDeleteThe compliments of color.