Jade2

Jane Bradley · 05-24-2005, 09:43 PM

Oil on linen 36X24. Unfortunately there is reflection on the surface - I will try to get better images.

Sharon Knettell · 05-28-2005, 10:50 AM

Jane,

I think this a generally well painted portrait of an interesting subject. This, however could be improved with a color adjustments overall, especially regarding the background, the blue is way too strong. It also need to be modified so it has more gradient from lighter to darker.

When deciding on a color design for a painting, you have to consider, will it be a complementary, monochromatic or an analogous color scheme. These are often best worked out from the get go. You have the problem of a rather yellow orange face competing with a cool pink shirt and sharp turquiose accents. The blue background is to sharp to complement the face and fighs with the pink and turquiose, making for an unharmonious total.

The cool red calls for a dull warm grey green as a complementary background, the skintone, a dull blue grey and so on. I would suggest you do a color study to resolve these issues before you embark on a finished work. It will save you a lot of time and angst.

Lon Haverly · 05-28-2005, 05:00 PM

I think this is a marvelous painting. You can either follow the rules as Sharon has listed above, or break them, as only can be done in a painting. This breaks the rules in a very delightful way. I would be very proud of this if it were mine.

Jane Bradley · 05-31-2005, 01:08 AM

Sharon,
As I mentioned in a previous post re: another portrait, this was painted pretty quickly (for me) for a show that I had this weekend. However, I did struggle with what I was going to do with the background and was never really happy with what I ended up doing - basically it was a make do. I think your suggestion of doing some color studies prior to painting the final is a great one - something I have not done before. I really wanted something going on in the background - at the very least I wanted to give a feeling of atmosphere - and I know that I definitely have not accomplished that. Her face became to orange and the last day I was madly trying to bring it back from the brink. Now that I am back home I really want to do something to make this work. I will do some studies as you suggest (maybe in photoshop) and then hit it again. I really appreciate your help.

Lon,
Thanks so much for your nice comments!

Jane Bradley · 05-31-2005, 01:05 PM

I played in photoshop and am thinking that this background might work better - still leaving a hint of sky in the upper area . I will probably repaint the skin and de-yellow it a little also.

Sharon Knettell · 05-31-2005, 05:05 PM

Jane,

That is better. Now the first thing I see is the face instead of the blue of the background.

Was this painted from a color photo? Usually the color of the background is a guide to modify the colors of the skin and the clothing. The skin tones and clothing will have hints of the background color. Her right cheek would have subtle hints of the pink on it from the blouse.

Right now I am painting a model in a coral dress against a very pale cool green background. I have noted how the green influences the skin tones.

When you do a color study or plan a photo shoot you have to decide what is going to be the dominant bright. Is it going to be a pink, red, blue, whatever; then complement it with the opposite but subdued color. You can add a third color a little less bright than the dominant bright, but you would then complement it with an even duller complement and so on.

For example, a bright cool pink, complemented by a warm grey green, then adding a turquoise complemented by a duller red orange.

Look at Degas paintings to see how he orchestrates his colors. I steal from him all the time.

Another thing about skin tones, they do not go just from like to dark, in say a burnt orange, but might have flickers of pink, ochre, naples yellow or a bit of the reflected background color. Look at a Sargent to see how many discrete bits of color are actually in a face.

Lon was right, this is a piece to be proud of but pushing your color will bring your future work to another level.

Lon Haverly · 05-31-2005, 10:11 PM

Jane, this color background does not explain the bright highlight on the front of the white dress. It is a cloudy day background, not the sunshiny day of the first. I prefer the first sky color. It makes sense with the light values. It says there is a bright sun about to go down in the sky, and the sky is clear as a bell. This color looks like there is no sun in sight.

Garth Herrick · 06-01-2005, 01:05 AM

Lon does have a point. What kind of story are you trying to tell with this quality of light? I have never been to Arizona, but I would imagine the skies are generally clear as a bell, as opposed to the typical eastern seaboard sky which is generally hazy, humid, oppressive and muggy. The Photoshop sky proposal may be a more "pleasing" color relationship, especially to those from the east who are accustomed to such soft colored skies; but to me it does not jive with the dramatic hard quality of lighting on the figure. Perhaps in an English type landscape situation you could get away with the sky representing changeable weather, with a dark neutral gray sky in the background contrasting with a shaft of setting sunlight in the foreground lighting the figure dramatically as you have. For the clear dry type of environment that is native to this figure, the clear blue sky makes sense, it seems.

Garth

Jane Bradley · 06-01-2005, 01:47 AM

When I painted the background behind this woman, I was imagining her on the top of a hill with the blue sky around her - if I had time I would have actually painted clouds - yes I was getting kind of corny and definitely a little illustrative -
I am going to try to incorporate all the things I have learned in this discourse with you all when I finish this peace. Sharon, you have given me some good things to ponder - I will study Degas as you suggest, and certainly Sergeant, who is one of my favorites. Lon and Garth, you are right about blue skies and Arizona - ever since I moved here and started painting again, I can't take the blue skies out of my palette - the blue skies are everpresent - and this is the model's environment too (she is Navajo). The trick is to make it feel like she resides in this environment.
Thanks Sharon, Lon and Garth for your input . You have been extremely helpful. I will repost this when I have finished it.

Linda Brandon · 06-01-2005, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garth Herrick

I have never been to Arizona, but I would imagine the skies are generally clear as a bell, as opposed to the typical eastern seaboard sky which is generally hazy, humid, oppressive and muggy. Garth

Atmospheric perspective is different out here in that vistas 50 miles away can seem to be just around the corner. It can give you a sense of vertigo. Also, the lack of greenery and the general rusty red color of many of the rocks is odd from a Eastern landscape atmospheric perspective.

Nice painting Jane, have you thought about putting a low hilly horizon line in at the bottom to ground the painting?