Posts Tagged: Singer

Giselle

Giselle 2-26-13 web

Giselle

6″ x 6″ (15 x 15 cm) – oil on gessobord – commission

Just finished Giselle yesterday. The painting is commissioned in honor of this client’s mother who worked as a seamstress for a dance company. In my mind I painted it for all workers toiling behind the screen-stage-platform with no spot light on them, but never-the-less indispensable. Just have seen Oscars, at least in movie business makeup people, costume people, hair people get recognition. I don’t believe in theater they do.

I learned an interesting technique while working on Giselle – painting translucent fabric. Really neat! I did quite a bit of work on transparent stuff, reflective stuff before – yes! But never translucent stuff until now. Apparently you can just physically mix the hue from underneath and hue from above and it tricks the eye just enough for “willing suspension of disbelief”. But then you still have go after it with glazes or dry brush or both.

This painting also was under a self imposed deadline as I am holding tickets to go on my yearly trip to Israel to visit my family. The painting had to be finished at least 10 days before my departure to allow enough drying time to be able to varnish and ship it. Yikes! Now it better cooperates and gets dry and ready to varnish by March 7 or I am in trouble.

A Stitch in Time

A Stitch in Time 12-30-12

A Stitch in Time

6″ x 6″ (15 x 15 cm) – oil on gessobord – commission

It took a lot longer than anticipated, but I finished it this year! This is a very important painting for me and I wanted to do it right and took my time. This is my first commission. And an international one at that.

With this year almost gone I see many of my artists friends doing a recap. I read them with great interest – people have accomplished great things, painted significant works, showed work in important places, taught numerous students, and thought up amazing innovations. I thought to myself I must do a year-end post as well.

So here it goes:

  • In 2012 I painted 11 paintings and sold almost all of them. Got and painted my first commission!
  • Made my sketching a serious practice, drawn numerous sketches, traveled to Stockholm and sketched there.
  • Founded Urban Sketchers Chicago group as a part of Urban Sketchers global movement. The group is now 75 artists strong, meets monthly and has its own FB page and blog.
  • Met and friended a great many artists around the world and learned a great deal.
  • Began to understand and use social media marketing – it works, how amazing!

It was a great year – 2012. Here’s to a better one in 2013!