Head Study No.3, No.4
These are little. I have some larger canvases in various stages sitting around in the studio, but I hate working on them if I don't have a nice chunk of time to fully immerse myself into the process. It takes a few hours just to get to that point of immersion and involvement, and to have to stop before getting something accomplished is really irritating to me.
Unfortunately, I rarely have more than an hour at a time to work, so I don't get much done. Plein air? forget it. It would take me an hour just to get to a destination and set up!
However, I discovered recently that I can do little head studies in a very short amount of time, and take it from start to finish within an hour; nothing spectacular or show-worthy, but completing a painting is very satisfying. And it keeps my hand from rusting up. Why it took me till now to figure out how to make good use of an hour here, and an hour there, I don't know; I assume it's because I wasn't trying hard enough. Well, I KNOW that's the case. It's always the case!
I've started numbering these heads from the point of this "discovery". So I'm on number 4. Kind of funny to see such a small number when I've done thousands before, but it's refreshing and humbling to start anew. None of the four I've done are from life. The first one I did using a charcoal drawing by Sargent. The next three are just made up. I'm not picky about my references, or whether I even have one for that matter - these are just little exercises and I'm just doing them to keep one foot in the studio and finding little satisfactions when I can.
12 comments:
Exciting studies. I really like them.
Thanks Sandy!
Love the studies. Great way to make use of an hour. Are these done in oil or watercolor?
Thanks calliartist~ these are oil paintings. That they resemble watercolors in some small way... well, I'm happy about that!
These are nice Terry. I particularly like cool tones in the bald man--That shadow cast from his nose really makes the painting.
I'm very interested in these being 'made-up'... if you're open to suggestion at all, my vote is for a No. 5 self portrait (you've got a mirror in your studio, don't you?).
Hi Terri, It is interesting to see you with the opposite working dilema. For 19 years I've painted in short bursts between parenting obligations and had hours between to study and plan my next moves on paintings. Now that I have hours of studio time, I find myself stumped a lot of the time. I think it is just a matter of , as you say, keeping your brush in it and eventually your drive to create will adapt to your available time.
I like the spotnaaity of these head studies and working in a series seems to help when time is limited. I would also love to see A self portrait or a baby portrait..
Thanks Thomas~ A self portrait? now there's an obvious idea that I hadn't thought of! I don't think I've done a self portrait in twenty years. lol You know what they say about made-up figures looking like yourself - I might actually look like that guy. Though I have hair on my head...
OK, I will do a self portrait. It'll be no. 10 or 11 as I already have 6, 7. 8. and 9 done.
Robin, yep. I figure it's just my turn to be going through the short-bursts-in-between-parenting-duties trial. Although I've done this before, it still doesn't make it easy! Ah well, it'll pass. As frustrating as it is, I prefer it to not being involved in my kids' lives. Art will just have to wait.
Terry- I really like the way you approach figures and head studies. These were the same subjects that first drew me to your blog.
The looseness of your brushwork makes it look like it fell off your brush onto the canvas.
Thanks bonnie~
"The looseness of your brushwork makes it look like it fell off your brush onto the canvas."
-i love it! In actuality, that's rarely the case but the trick is to make it LOOK like so, isn't it. Wish I could get my cityscape to do that. Workin' on it....
Very nice - I keep look at all my drawings of heads and thinking I really ought to have a go at translating them into something more. This might be the inspiration!
Happy Christmas
Thanks Katherine, and happy holidays to you too!
and as for "making something more" out of your head drawings? just jump in and go for it~
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