Like most artists, I have a 'discard' pile. These are paintings or drawings that were started, then stopped for some reason. Either the piece didn't inspire me, it wasn't matching the vision in my head or I was simply painting badly, so it was added to the pile in a corner of the studio hoping one day I would want to see if I could salvage it.
Over the last couple of days, I have dusted off some of the pile and done some additions, repainting or surface alternations to begin new pieces.
This is one of the pieces that I put aside. Its the start of a portrait of my grand daughter who was here in June. She'd just had a bath and was wrapped up in her lion towel and was posing beautifully for me in the evening light by the window as she had her eye on my camera and wanted to play with it.
As she was dressed up as a little lion I though what more apt but to place a background of the plains of Africa. The bones of that are in place and while minimal in terms of canvas space and values, I hope it will work.
The first attempt at the portrait didn't work and I put it aside then thought I'd pull it out again and see what I could do. More layers and its starting to come together now. I can't find my very small brush to do some more work on the eyelids, so they'll have to wait til tomorrow when I can buy a new brush.
This painting is done on gallery canvas and is 11 x 14 in oils.
6 comments:
I have a huge pile of crappy art. I put them away for a while then look at all of them after a couple of months. Hard to believe, but I am able to salvage some or parts of some. It's a great idea.
Wow, those "more layers" are definitely doing the trick. It has been transformed and it looks fabulous! Congratulations on a successful recovery.
She's beautiful--what lovely portraits here!
Its amazing what you see second time around isn't it Terry?
Thanks Teresa. More work to do but its heading in the right direction now.
Thanks Sue, I think she's pretty cute, but then I'm biased. :)
Jeanette, you may be biased, but she's beautiful too. :) And your painting is looking great. I think every artist has a pile of unfinished art that we think we will get back to "someday". I wonder what percentage of those paintings ever get finished.
It's coming along well...such an imperious look in her eye, strong and sure like a lion cub! Great work at pulling out a "nag" and turning it into a thoroughbred.
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