I thought I’d post a progress shot of the 48″ square Bouguereau head study I am working on. I’d say it’s about 75% done, simply because I’m hitting the 7th value on the skin tones, and the scarf and blouse are coming along well.
I did a small version of this painting last year, around 10″ x 9.” The goal of this piece is to explore the combination of 19th cent. treatment and 21st cent. scale. So far I like the effect it has in person, sort of an emphatic intimacy.
I’ve been evolving my approach somewhat because of this piece. My goal used to be getting each color to finished level at each sitting. I hated going back into a section. But I’ve been realizing the wonderful effects that can be achieved by layering the same HVC mix, and going back into mixes that are darker or more chromatic.
Please excuse this flawed photo. The panel is completely wet and large enough to make moving it in my tiny attic studio tricky. So, I had to take the photo from very close and there’s a lot of glare on the top section, making it seem less developed than it really is. We’ve had so much rain lately that drying is a challenge.