Tuesday evening studies

Little studies of Amy done last night.  6x10, 6x9.  The left one was done on top of a figure study done in raw umber and white.  

Quickie figure value study

If you're wondering what the hell we do in my figure-painting classes, we do lots of quick value studies order to assess the dark/light pattern of what it is we are seeing.  Quick 20 minute class demo in raw umber and titanium white.  I started off laying in three values: shadow, light and transitional tone between light and dark which describes the edge of the form shadow.  I then added two more values: a dark shadow value a bit lighter than the darkest and another light value which falls between the light and the transitional value.  And and and a little blob of pure white for a highlight.  

Last night's portrait study progression

 

 

2 hour portrait study with full palette

Navigator in gold

12"x12", oil on board with gold-leaf

I am forever intrigued by the intercection between the two-dimensional and the three-dimensional.  As I am compelled to create the illusion of three dimensionality, I still have a desire to keep it within another realm, that of dreams, thoughts and/orfantasy.  So I often like to play with this relationship by creating a voluminous image or figure within a context of flatness, perhaps geometric shapes or maps (which are fascinating because they are another representation of our three dimensional world) or gold-leaf which I love because it harks back to another era.  And I love the juxtaposition of the modern and the antiquated.  

MICROART

Pretty please?  oil on board, 8"x6"

SOLD

This little painting mother palette is blue/orange .... I can't get away from this combo lately.  It's perfect to capture metal.  

Rothko and his foal

Officially finished.  I have signed her.  I took a good week before examining this painting again....made a few final touches.   

2 hour study on the left done yesterday and 20 minute eye demo (done in my portrait class). I think I was happier after the monochromatic tones were laid in during the first 30 minutes.  I've been doing 30 minute poses for awhile now and had to adjust to a longer one.  I tried to stay simple with my strokes.  Funny how Kelli is looking down at her eyes.  The photo is not so good on the left as it's picking up a lot of glare.  I loved the reflected light on her jawline last night.  Kelli's eyes always inspire me.  

So what in the world does "pre-SOLD" mean on the MICROART images??

I'm starting to accept requests.  That is, if you enjoy a little bit of surprise in your life, you may pay me in advance for a MICRO with a subject of your choice and I will compose it and paint it as I see fit...all this for $175 pus $6 s/h.

MICROART

Decapitated, oil on board, 6"x8"

SOLD

This is yet another study on complements: orange and blue....note the little bits of cad orange.

Sequence photos of my latest painting: Rothko and his foal

I decided that the values in the background were a little too choppy...more adjustments.  At some point, someone else needs to step in and tell you when you're done!!  10/2

I think I'm done...I really wanted to obscure the background more and hone some of the focal point(s).  I rarely use black in my palette because I find that that it takes too much saturation away--but I used it in this one.  Typically I can make my darkest darks with other mixtures.  And I desaturate colors or neutralize them using complements.  But for Rothko's fur, I felt I needed to get really rich and dark and warranted the use of black, always mixed in with other color.  9/30

progress shot#8: subtle changes happening now...but important.  I really wanted the background to be more abstract...in my attempt at losing form, I lost some critical darks I needed to get back.  Will continue tomorrow.  9/29

progress shot#6: adjusting lights and darks more 9/27

progress shot#6: This is the fun fun stage.  I am now deconstructing and reconstructing the image, moving oily paint around a lot, continuing to check values, reminding myself of my focal point and how I'm going to handle it.  9/27

progress shot #5  9/25

I'm very inspired today.  I consumed incredible paintings this past weekend in Washington DC: at the Women Painting Women show at the Principle Gallery and the National Gallery and Portrait Gallery.  Here's some more progress of Rothko and his foal.  I've got a LOT of value adjustment to do, elaboration of the context, THEN start to really move some paint around, that is, pushing and pulling it to create more movement, more abstraction...etcetera, etcetera.  9/23

I probably should have photographed the stage before this but I assure you, this is still very, very early. I wanted to get some color in after the loose monochromatic sketch.  Have some different ideas for background/context, but for now I needed to lay in some kind of value scheme.  9/17

Working on the foal 9/11

Starting a new painting 9/9

Latest MICROART

MICROART is back by popular demand!!

I'm having a blast getting back to the MICROpaintings that I used to do quite frequently.  It provides me with the ever-challenging act of putting together a sweet little composition, painting it from careful observation and simplifying it with an economy of brushstrokes.  

Favorite, 6"x8"  $150 plus $6 s/h

To purchase, email me: jbalkan{at}grandecom{dot}net

This is a particularly happy little painting for me because for the very first time, I was able to paint something while my four-year-old son was painting with me in my studio.  I started it while we were painting together, and finished it alone.  It's a little less authentic since I didn't do it all in one two-hour sitting but piecemeal.  (The whole point of these MICROS is for me to start and finish a 'lil painting in fewer than two hours).  BUT my boy is old enough that I can paint WITH him -- woohoo!!

Dog's best friend, 6"x9"  SOLD

This was the first of several tennis ball paintings that I have now done.  I had no idea how popular they would be.  I should have realized since I am tapping into the game of love.  

Cuz I'm a gummy bear, 6"x8"  SOLD

Love love painting these little num nums....the transparency of them provides a lovely little challenge for me.  

Equality, 6"x8"  SOLD

Out of the womb, 6"x9"  pre-SOLD

Between a woman and a woman, 6"x9"  SOLD

Fractured love, 6"x9"  pre-SOLD

Time, 6"x9"  pre-SOLD