Primary Colors

Richard Monro · 02-19-2005, 07:58 PM

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.

Clive Fullagar · 02-19-2005, 08:33 PM

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.

Elizabeth Schott · 02-19-2005, 10:50 PM

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

Clive Fullagar · 02-19-2005, 11:51 PM

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.

David Draime · 02-20-2005, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clive Fullagar

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.

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.

Terri Ficenec · 02-20-2005, 04:00 PM

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!

Linda Brandon · 02-20-2005, 05:57 PM

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.

Garth Herrick · 02-21-2005, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clive Fullagar

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 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