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.