February Goals: Looking Back
Posted By Carrie L. Lewis on March 1, 2010
Portraits
As I believe I mentioned in another post, some paintings and portraits are a test of wills. Lockkeeper is proving to be one of those.
I thought I had the problems solved at mid-month only to follow up a very good painting session or two with a session that set the portrait back slightly. The problem? I was in too big a hurry to get the portrait finished!
I say that with every confidence because that frustrating painting session was followed a week later by an excellent painting session in which I had none of the previous problems with paint film and made great progress. Giving fresh paint time to dry completely made all the difference in the world.
So did a good prayer before getting to work that day!
As I write this post, I’m not sure whether or not the portrait is within range of being completed in March, but it is definitely headed in that direction.
Frustrations in other areas are being made up for with the portrait of Keyodee Star.
In February, the painting took several steps through the glazing phase of the process and is beginning to look like the full-color portrait it should be. Most of the background is completed. The exterior of the stall looks great and so does the interior, though the interior may still be a little bit light in value. I want to finish the horse before making any adjustments or corrections to either area.
I put several layers of transparent color over the horse, the most recent being a dry-brush glaze of Transparent Red Oxide last week. Odee’s coat color is almost there. Once that’s in place, details and adjustments will be put in place and the portrait will be complete. Barring extended drying times, it may very well be finished by the end of March.
In between is Clyde.
This portrait is progressing more typically than either of the other two. Work is neither as smooth nor as troublesome as with the others. I have taken a couple of missteps that have required letting the painting dry completely before corrections can be made, but at the end of February, the dead layer was very close to completion. So close, in fact, that I may decide it is finished when I review it this coming week. If that proves to be the case, the painting will be idle for most of March while the dead layer dries.
If it’s not the case, I’ll finish it and then the painting will be set aside for a minimum of three weeks.
ACEO Horse Paintings
I fell down seriously on ACEO Horse paintings. I finished only one, a loosely rendered, almost experimental hoof study done in colored pencil on a piece of test paper. Shameful!
The ACEO that was completed in February is a nice little piece of artwork, but it is, alas, the only one!
I’m going to have to issue myself a ‘do-better’ slip in this area!
Other Paintings
The third thing I wanted to consider for February was identifying partially finished paintings to work on and finishing as many as possible.
That led to reviewing the current paintings and to the realization that there are only two. Buckles & Belts is a couple of good sessions away from completion and so is Contemplation. I didn’t work on Buckles & Belts in February, but I did work on Contemplation and it’s very close to completion. With the first horse show of the year looming at the end of March, I’m hoping to have both of them finished. When Clyde goes to the drying room, I’ll be able to give at least one day a week to each of them.
Starting a colored pencil class on February 18 has also prompted me to begin the review phase for a new large, colored pencil. Something I can use as a demonstration piece for class. I’ve already looked through about 150 photographs, culling them down to twenty-eight possibilities, then from there to twenty as I write this. Three of them would make perfect, humorous ACEOs, so I’m setting them aside for that purpose.
So studio results in February have been mixed. Some very good painting days were sandwiched between some very frustrating ones. That’s no surprise. That’s life.
I am a self-taught artist for the most part. Lots of trial and error in the past forty years! Formal art training consists of a couple of years of high school art, a painting class at a community college, one semester in the Fine Arts program at Abilene Christian University and a couple of local workshops.
I am always looking for ways to better my artistic skills, so I am a permanent student in the School of Trial and Error. I love reading and have been known to spend hours online researching materials and techniques. As a result, I've painted in several different styles, including the direct method (which goes straight for the color) and Classical methods (which involves underpaintings, layering and glazing).
I have exhibited paintings in locations such as Lone Star Park Race Track, Grand Prairie, Texas and Remington Park Race Track, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Since the early 90s, I've worked with the Michigan Harness Horseman's Association, donating custom portraits to their annual benefit auction.
In the course of maintaining a growing art business, I have taught myself web design (a skill that will no doubt prove to be a continual learning experience).
I also enjoy puttering around the yard, chasing trains with my husband, Neal, travel and, of course, looking at horses whenever they appear on my horizon.
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