Whitaker's Waltz: Cindy

Michael Georges · 05-07-2003, 10:25 PM

Let's do it with Cindy too because I want Linda B. to show us what she did with Cindy - it's really great!

Here is my version of Cindy - I had an almost straight side pose and not nearly enough time.

Linda Brandon · 05-08-2003, 11:34 AM

Michael, you are being very kind, especially to somebody who crashed into your palette every five minutes.

Congratulations on your very accurate painting of Cindy.

Here's mine:

Michael Georges · 05-08-2003, 12:14 PM

See, now look at that, isn't that just lovely? Linda, you and Chris have a wonderful grace to your paintings that I just really admire.

I have one word for that portrait you did and that word is:

**FABOO**

Mike Dodson · 05-09-2003, 11:57 AM

Michael,

Great job on the painting! You and Linda.

I noticed that in most of your paintings that I have seen, that your technique is that your brush strokes do not appear to be visible, very smooth. In the painting shown above they are very loose, I'm sure due to the given amount of time.

My question, is it difficult for you to make that creative shift from a more refined technique to a "loosely" painted look? How do you prepare yourself mentally to make this shift?

I've tried many times to "loosen up" with my painting but seem to fall back into looking for details and overworking. Maybe it's just my "style" for lack of a better word.

Hope this makes sense.

Michael Georges · 05-09-2003, 01:44 PM

Mike:

Yes yes, you are absolutely right! I am so tight I squeek and it drives me crazy sometimes. Bill had us doing something he calls "broken color" as part of the painter's dance where you lay in one or two strokes and leave them, step back, mix another color, step forward and make one or two more strokes and leave them, step back, repeat. The point is that you work all over the painting at once and you lay strokes down and leave them. It was hard for me. On Cindy, what you see is actually somewhat broken up again as I went back in on the last day after I had done some smoothing out and finishing and began laying in that broken color again.

I will still do my commissioned portraits very tight as that is how I am most comfortable, but I intend to continue working from life and trying to fight the "tight" in my style.

Elizabeth Schott · 05-09-2003, 02:03 PM

Quote:

See, now look at that, isn't that just lovely? Linda, you and Chris have a wonderful grace to your paintings that I just really admire.

Yep and guess who was stuck in between them?

I had to plead with the ice cream gang to come up and tell me how wonderful my work was even if they were lying. Chris and Linda were both so good, I became the invisible woman, and I think I'll keep my "Cindy" that way!

I know it wasn't a competition and I must admit it was an honor to be near them.

Cindy is posted at my link.

Jean Kelly · 05-09-2003, 05:23 PM

I'm so glad that all of you are posting your work from the workshop. What I find amazing is that all of the work is very obviously the same person and easily recognized. But each has its stamp of the individual artist.

Michael, I know what you mean about "tight". Sometimes I get so wrapped up in detail that I forget the whole. But, since I love your work the way it is, I can only see good come from your experience at this workshop.

Linda, yours is beautiful, so soft looking. Will you be doing more on it or leaving it as is? It looks finished to me. How did you like using a different technique? Or since your work is so soft anyway was it comfortable?

Beth, you're a chicken! Come on, your Les is so nice I can't imagine that there is nothing of value in Cindy.

Feeling green with envy,
Jean

Elizabeth Schott · 05-09-2003, 09:24 PM

Okay Jean, I won't be a chicken.

I had to scrape the paint off of this canvas at least 4 times. I had such a hard time with the left side of her face.

I couldn't believe I could have had part of a Whitaker original after Bill helped me on day 3, but on day 4 I scraped it off again. Of course I had managed to mess up his genius.

So essentially this is 1 1/2 days work. And if I would have had more days, her face would have been as huge as the statute of Saddam that tumbled. Linda did her best to keep me under control!

Chris Saper · 05-09-2003, 09:53 PM

Beth,

You are too funny.

Michael,

Perhaps you might want to elaborate on the two very different processes at play in your portfolio work and your portraits-from-life work. The underpainting, by its nature, seems to result in a much higher degree of 'finish', n'est-ce pas?

BTW I will post my Cindy when I get the chance. And, thank you for your very kind and generous mention!

Linda Brandon · 05-09-2003, 10:25 PM

Beth,

It was a dramatic moment when the other artists took off their shoes and started hitting your painting with them.

You are fun to needle.