Another of Nan

Alexandra Tyng · 12-17-2006, 04:49 PM

Here is a recent portrait of my friend Nan. Those of you who have been forum members for a while might remember another one I did of her a year or so ago. I think I am trying to capture the quintessential Nan but there probably isn't any one aspect of her that will describe her fully, so I keep trying. I was really interested in a certain expression she has, a certain way of shaping her mouth while talking, and I wanted to paint it. I was trying to see if I could show her voice and her accent (German) visually, with paint. She is sitting on her porch in Maine and behind her is a rosebush, huge white pine, and the lake where her house sits.

32" x 28", oil on linen

Thanks for looking.

Terri Ficenec · 12-17-2006, 11:11 PM

Hi Alex -- Well this certainly feels like Maine! The dramatic raking sunlight and something about the way she's set in that captain's chair. She reads as quite a spunky character, vibrantly painted. . . as for that German accent-- I think so! (are you sure there's not a bit of Mainer in there too -- eh?) Love those touches of blue through the trees and in the shadows of her shirt. Beautiful and dramatic.

Julie Deane · 12-17-2006, 11:36 PM

Great colors and great painting - as usual, Alexandra! I like the strong feeling of sunlight.

Judging from the position of the mouth, it looks like she might be ready to say something that does not have an equivalent sound in English. As a speech-language pathologist in my "real" job, I'm always looking at people's mouths as they talk, so I guess that gives me a little bit of authority.

Alexandra Tyng · 12-18-2006, 09:30 AM

Thanks, Terri and Julie! I'm so glad you think I was somewhat successful in capturing the way Nan speaks. Of course those things are only suggested in paint. You have to get the gesture with the right brushstrokes. I'm sure you know just what I mean!

Julie, that must be interesting to be a speech pathologist and paint portraits. There must be things you notice in people's faces, especially mouths. Do you find yourself consciously trying to paint these things, or are you in another zone completely when you are painting?

Terri, yes, there is a lot of Mainer in Nan. Although her official home is on the west coast, she spends the entire summer and part of fall in her Maine house, a very tiny place with no electricity or running water. She's past 80 but still chops her own wood, etc. She's almost never alone because so many people love to visit her.

Here's a closeup of her face.

Enzie Shahmiri · 12-18-2006, 12:30 PM

Alexandra, your friend has that robust, "bring it on", ready for everything feel , that I associate with many German women. This comes from someone who is half German herself and has seen this in her own family members and friends.

I also like the play of light and find it great that you keep painting your friend in different settings.

Julie Deane · 12-18-2006, 01:24 PM

Alex, the speech department is usually not brought into the art department, except as a peripheral. It's part of the general background, I guess.

Allan Rahbek · 12-18-2006, 04:34 PM

Alex,
I really wish that I could see this in person, your paint handling is so varied and right on, delicious.
This is Nan that you painted with some yellow flowers some time ago, right?.
You have done a portrait that only a friend could do, and I also like the outdoor feel in it. The Pthalo Blue is also a friend of yours, I see.

Alexandra Tyng · 12-18-2006, 11:00 PM

Enzie, if the "bring it on" attitude is German, that explains Nan's no-nonsense attitude to some degree. She doesn't allow herself to wallow in the problems of old age. Thank you, I'm glad you like the light--I had a lot of fun painting it, and even thinking about how I was going to paint it.

Julie--just wondering because I was always interested in psychology and even considered a career in it (briefly), and I know that the way I look at people has a lot to do with my interest in what makes them tick.

Allan, thanks for appreciating the paint handling! You'll never guess what inspired this: Wyeth's painting of Siri standing on a rock in front of a very dark bank of evergreens. I wanted to see how little value contrast and detail I could put into the rosebush (especially the shadowy areas) and still have it read as having depth and interest and form. I'm posting a detail:

Carlos Ygoa · 12-19-2006, 05:22 AM

Alex,

Allan beat me to it, but I will say it myself: the way you handle the paint! Lovely. And masterful. Reminds me of Velazquez, but outdoors and bathed in sunlight. A portrait of someone one is intimate with always has that feel about it, like the psychological portraits.

"Indian Summer" by Andrew Wyeth. Yes, I am familiar with it. In tempera, and large enough (1m high) to test one

Alexandra Tyng · 12-19-2006, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlos Ygoa

"Indian Summer" by Andrew Wyeth.

Ahh! Thanks for the title. I was too lazy to look it up.

Thanks so much. I'm feeling totally honored and a little embarrassed being compared even slightly to Velasquez, whom I consider to be one of the most brilliant artists of all time. You are so generous in your praise of this very modest effort. I did have fun with it, though, and tried some things I hadn't tried before.