New painting
Work has begun on a new painting that will encompass a full range of design elements including 24 kt gold leaf. The progress will be chronicled in this post with regular updates added on.
This is a very special endeavor for me as the subject of this painting is my wife. To try to do a work which conveys not only her beauty but her nature and spirit is the most ultimate challenge of my career thus far.
Because of a neurological disability I have called dystonia, my approach to painting has evolved into a somewhat nontypical way. This disorder causes my muscles to contract and spasm involuntarily which requires the use of a drawing table rather than an easel. I need to rest my arms and hands on the table to minimize tremors. It also means that painting directly from a live model is very difficult. In addition, without the use of an easel larger works are next to impossible, therefore I have learned to work with the painting in different directions on my table. Because of these challenges I have grown to rely almost exclusively on photography for reference.
I started this painting with a photo session of my wife. Once the session was completed, I selected the best ones to manipulate into a design and composition that I was pleased with. The two photos here show the original image I used of my wife and then the manipulated image I am using as the main reference for the painting. This preliminary process with photography is almost as enjoyable as doing the actual painting.
Next I cut an MDF board the appropriate size for the painting and sand the edges and surface. The size of this painting is 19″ wide by 37″ high. A layer of gesso is applied and when dried it is lightly sanded. This is done three more times until a solid white surface for painting is achieved. Next, I applied a thin mixture of burnt umber, raw umber and ivory black with a rag to tone the board. When this undercoat dried it was time to sketch a simple line drawing of the figure on to the board with a pencil.
The second image above is on day two of the actual painting. It shows the simple and quick monochromatic underpainting in progress. This is the begining layer of many to come in which I will begin to refine, soften and increase color.
Day three on the painting above left. I have spent the last two days working on the face getting the shapes and overall look basically correct. In doing this I have also begun to work in some color especially in the eyes. Day five is the image above right. I keep progressing on the color and shadows on the face. Since the face is the focal point it will probably take the most time to get it to where I am pleased.
I pretty much finished the face today. As I move on to the rest of the paintinig I will still make minor corrections in the face as I see fit. I hope to start doing some gold leaf for the background next to get that aspect of the painting going.
I have begun the process of applying 24 kt gold leaf onto the painting (Below left). It is a very delicate process with 4″ x 4″ sheets. First an adhesive is applied with a brush onto the areas where I want the gold leaf. After setting an hour, the sheets of gold leaf are carefully applied and pushed into the texture of the painting with a soft brush. The excess is also cleaned off and then the leaf is sealed with a protective coat of varnish. Once dried I can begin painting in areas over the gold leaf.
Next, after the light coat of varnish has dried, I have begun to paint the edge and strands of her hair onto the gold leaf. This is a meticulous process brushing in each strand of hair to contrast against the gold leaf.
(Check back for more updates to this post)
