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I often wonder why people are more willing to commission a portrait of a pet rather than themselves. Perhaps it is a revaluation of the "forever youthful" perception that we carry inside of us that makes us dread what is seen by the rest of the world. 

What you receive in a portrait painting is not the harsh reality of a photo, but an interpretation of your impact on the artist, who then takes that perception processed by the mind by rendering it to canvas. The art is then perceived by other people and given a new interpretation. This is the dance we are involved in perception glazed on top of reality. Art gives us a chance to rediscover what we thought we knew intimately.

The internet has become a wonderful source for reference photos. So far I have had a good reception when requesting peoples photos as an inspiration for a painting. My time is limited so if you have a request to be a model please be sure to ask artxruss@gmail.com. Patrons are also welcomed to request paintings gift someone in the family, friends or work.

Portraits, oranges, and flowers

What does oranges and flowers have to do with painting portraits? They provide the experience of shapes and techniques...in other words no experience is wasted. 

Exercises found in art classes endeavor to break the student's notion they know an object. We all have preconceived, 'maps', of faces. In deed, the smiley face is rudimentary foundation a portrait. Ovals  improve the map, but falls short of what is in front of the artist. It would be more realistic to treat the face as a mountain; with all its ridges, valleys, and mountain peak.

The lesson from painting unfamiliar subjects is to leave behind  preconceived notion of our limited grasp of the real world. 

Things I have learned from unfamiliar subjects:

• Leaves: taught me about cutting into the shape with the background colors. 

• White iris: white is not white, but, pale shadows and subtle tints of local color.

• Tangerine: taught me about subtle reflections and translucent skin and meat of the fruit. 

• Horse hide: the subtle transitions of cool to warm colors.

The list could go on; once again: no experience is wasted.

People might say I know how to paint flowers or horses. But, I really don't.  My ability to observe, to apply, and study shape and form to make a reasonable facsimile is key. However, it does leave me with a larger library of shapes, tones, shadows and color to be applied to the next portrait.

Keep observing and more you know the more you realize you don't know anything; it's all an illusion of perception. However, we can still update our perception of the world around us to better understand the our illusion of the world and those around us.

Orange Light a Wolvek original

How many layers does it take?

Painting in oil to cover/correct previous painting on canvas 

Oil portrait on canvas board
Portrait of Veronica

Oils - 18x20 - Veronica - 2013

The original

This is one my first oil portraits after years of watercolor portraits. If one is getting up in the middle of the night, it's easier to paint indoors with watercolors than it is to go out to the studio to paint in oils. 
However, that being said; the oils are more forgiving in the fact you can rework areas that need correcting. I came as close as I could to her likeness. After moving the mouth and adjusting the cheeks I had to, at some point, declared the painting done. A painting is done when changing it would not improve its quality. I promised myself there would be no more work/changes to this piece.
Art like life is an experiment. I experiment with coating the painting with shellac in order to have a even gloss went according to plan...set it aside to dry by setting it upright so dust should not settle on the surface of the painting.

There must have been too much thinner in my mix. When I next viewed Veronica's portrait the paint from the top of her head had dribbled down her face and formed tears. Frankly, I should have let art be art and keep the painting "as is". But, no I had to try to cover the blemish.

At first I tried to match the color in the cheeks. However, when filling in the area with a coat of flesh toned highlights and rosy cheeks I started noticing structural differences with the original source material. More than a year and a half had passed since I had started painting in oils. As stated before, most of my studies where with watercolors. This rendition was being observed through new eyes. The differences between the original photo and the old painting was so clear now, that I had to change the structure, first to the eyes, then the nose, now the chin, then cropping the hair.

I keep layering and shaping the structure, color and the light/shadows... It might have been faster to create a new work, but that's how lessons are taught. You don't know you've had one until you are passed the point where you realize things could have been different if only you had started over. 

How many layers before it's done? That depends on how translucent the paint is when changing the structure or hiding blemishes. There is still a hint of damage done by the shellack. Most those familiar with the tale would look for it.

Perhaps the title should be hidden tears.