02/08 life head study session

[Mary Ann Archibald]

A local artist and myself decided to set up life sessions, once every month and today was our first day. I haven't painted people from life since last summer and I felt as though the information I gained from workshops I attended in 2007 (Rob Howards and Wende Caporale) few right out the window on me today. So it was good to get back in the groove of painting from life today. Although looking back on it, I can see a lot of areas where I went wrong early in the processwith this painting and will have that benefit next month when we do it again. I love (and prefer) the process of painting from life, sort of wish there was more than three hours to pull something together in a session but it would be easy to wear a model out, and today's model was wonderful.

[Thomasin Dewhurst]

It's great that you organized life sessions for yourself and your artist friend. I hope it continues to work out for you. What you could do in between the sessions is work on the problems you had by doing self-portraits studies so that you keep your hand in working from life and when you get back to your life session you are much more practiced and knowledgeable. Just half an hour a day, even. I find that if I go a day without putting paint down I lose so much and feel so unfit!

Your current painting looks like it has plenty of things working in it. It would be great to see, as well, an image just of the painting without the reflected light so we can get a good look at it. Do you have one you could post?

Great job of getting going with life work!

[Mary Ann Archibald]

Thanks Thomasin, those are great suggestions.
Here's a close up: