celebration XI, 36x44” after whiting it over and introducing a drawing of mikela, oil on quadruple primed portrait linen
celebration X, 36x44” as she looked following today’s whiteover
2:23 PM: i whited over celebration XI, leaving only a portion of the figure with the blue outlined shirt and the figure, viewed from above, of the guy in the checker patterned trousers looking at this phone. as often happens, the white-over has created a mysterious image and has given her lots of breathing space. the white oil paint was kind of thick and runny, so in order to prevent dripping, which i sometimes like but didn’t want in this case, i had to lay it on the studio floor and photograph it from above, standing on a step stool & using my iphone instead of my nikon.
2:01 PM: i whited over almost all of celebration XI earlier today and introduced a drawing in grey oil inspired by a composite photo i shot at some point in the past…at least a decade ago…of mikela holding a mirror and adjusting her hair. i’ll probably wait till tomorrow for the next stage to reveal herself.
6/19/2020 plein air creek watercolor
12:11 PM: this is one of my plein air creek watercolors, painted in june, 2023. panting plein air at the creek is indescribably wonderful on all levels: the frangrances; the sound of the rushing water; and the kind of observation only possible during the act of painting on site.