Primary Colors
 

Haven't posted something for a while. This is a portrait I have just completed of a friend's daughter. It is going to be a High School Graduation present. I have always wanted to paint a portrait that predominantly consists of the primary colors. The compositional challenge was to present these colors in a way that one did not dominate and none detracted from the portrait. The portrait is oil on canvas and measures 24" x 20."

My apologies for the quality of the digitial image - it really does not do justice to the original. One of thes days I am going to spoil myself and get a really good camera (any suggestions?).

Clive,

Wonderful job!

Using primary colors in a painting is one of the most difficult things to pull off, and you have done so beautifully, keeping their relative saturations under control.

I very much like the whole design, and how you have been so judicious in both negative and positive shapes.

Negative Space
 

Chris,

Thank you for the compliments. I think you really nailed it when you said that balance is in negative space. Initially the wall in this painting was very dominant. It was only after adding the shadow behind the figure that the balance started getting to where I wanted it to be. Too dark a shadow would have destroyed the composition, so toning down the shadow reduced the dominance of the yellow without upsetting the composition. That shadow becomes pivotal in the overall balance of the painting. Shadows often become the neglected spaces in paintings - but I love them. I far prefer painting shadows to highlights.

Thanks again.

Clive,

Nicely done. That shadow behind the figure is a rela nice touch. It produces a diagonal that naturally draws the eye down to the figure. I might have dulled the intensity of orange in the sofa (behind and to the right of the figure) as it seems to want to pull my attention away from the sitter. Other than that it is a lovely piece of work.

Richard,

You are right. I wonder though if it is the intensity of the orange or the definition of the floral pattern in that area of the chair? I will work on both and see if I can't "mute" that area. Thanks for your feedback.

Clive she is a beautiful young lady. You have courage! Did you find yourself changing your composition or color intensity as you went along?

Captivating Smiles
 

Beth,

She is a delightful young woman. It is funny though how people's perceptions of portraits are shaped by glamor photography (and in this case Senior graduation photographs). Initially she wanted a pose where she was smiling far more broadly than in this picture. I don't know about you, but I find smiles are the death knell of oil portraits. You never see them in classic portraits, and teeth have this uncanny ability to become the focus of a portrait. I have always felt that the eyes should be the soul of the picture. Anyway, I managed to persuade her (and her mother) that a more subtle smile provided a far more sophisticated image. Often, the broad smile becomes a facade that hides the sitter.

I did change the color intensity as I went along. I started with the blue sweater and had to intensify the yellow wall to balance the blue. That left the armchair, which had to be bold. One thing I did have to change, and which really is not picked up in the posted photo, is the reflected light in the face. I had to use some intense cadmium orange. If I had not done this I think that the facial features would have been completely washed out by the surroundings.

Clive, I couldn't agree more. If it is handled properly, a subtle smile can work (da Vinci, Vermeer) But I feel as you do, I try to avoid it. I don't know what I'm going to do when I start getting commissions and the client wants a big sunny grin showing. I guess I could just not sign the painting....

AND you've done a great job with this one. Beautifully rendered, solid composition.

Hi Clive--so nice to see you posting again! I've always enjoyed your work.

I like how you handled this, with the primary colors. Amazing how bright the color in her face, if you isolate it and just look at her face... but how well it fits in and appears right in the scheme of the overall picture. Neat!

I'm also happy to see you posting your work again, Clive. You have what I think is a distinctive "clean" modern style that is very attractive and appealing. I love yellow backgrounds generally and I like your choice here for this charming young lady. You've balanced the color so well.

Linda and Terri,

Thank you for your kind words - it is nice to feel you have been missed. The main reason that I have not posted much recently is that I have been very busy doing research on the creative process - specifically the experience of "flow" - a psychological state that I am sure many on this forum have experienced. It is when you become so involved in what you are doing that you lose all sense of time passing and become thoroughly immersed in the task. As you probably know it is a very enjoyable experience, and one that probably motivates artists to paint more.

Linda, I am currently working on a very ambitious self-portrait where I am moving away from the clean lines of my previous portraits toward a far looser, more painterly, style. Isn't that the beauty of self-portraits? no clients to satisfy. I will try and post that once it is finished.

Thanks again for your comments. And may you find flow frequently.

Clive, I'd be VERY interested to read some of your research on the topic of "flow". I find that a fascinating subject, too. Perhaps you could start a thread in the Cafe Guerbois section?

Thank you also, for this very insightful comment:

Clive,

I just want to echo that this is a captivating and appealing portrait. I love your sense of design and color development. You are so right about smiles. The really smiley portraits I've done are frightful to look at and I won't include them in my portfolio.

Just a moment ago I saw your Thomas in the Blue Chair portrait which I also especially love. You have a wonderful talent for color, design and for capturing that magical compelling moment in time.

I look forward to seeing more of your paintings.

Garth

Clive and Michele, I also love the research done on flow (we're talking about Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi, right?) and there has been some talk on the Forum about it in the "Creativity Issues" topic found here.

Flow is so important that it needs its own thread, please start one in Creativity Issues. I'd love to read more about it!

Add me to the "flow" too.

Clive, you have a way of "pushing the envelope" that I love. Glad to see you back and hope to see more.

Jean