Faith on burlap

Mike McCarty · 06-25-2016, 10:54 AM

This is my friend, Faith, from the deli meat counter at the grocery store. In a moment of weakness she allowed me to photograph her.

Oil on stretched burlap 16 x 20.

Most of my paintings are on portrait grade linen that I gesso and sand three times. This produces a nice smooth surface. However, this beautifully smooth surface feeds in to my tendency to nit-pick and rub the life out of what I paint. One remedy is to paint with a much bigger brush than you think is right for the job. Another remedy is to paint on a surface that is so knarly that it won't allow this life sucking detailing to take place.

So, I got a big brush, mostly, and I found this burlap that was taken from between a saddle and a double humped camel - Camelus dromedarius, so named by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, or would that be a dromedary? He digresses. Either way it made for quite a pungent experience. I'm going to varnish with a touch of Channel no. 5.

Cynthia Daniel · 06-25-2016, 12:13 PM

Very nice and original!

Mike McCarty · 06-25-2016, 05:24 PM

Thanks, Cynthia.

John Crowther · 07-13-2016, 03:55 PM

I like it a lot.

Mike McCarty · 07-13-2016, 05:12 PM

Thanks, John.

Somehow my images got dropped. I've added them back.

John Crowther · 07-13-2016, 05:15 PM

Mike, I'd intuited that it was the same as the "signature" work, thanks to your description of the ground.

Carlos Ygoa · 07-18-2016, 05:53 AM

Nice 3/4 head, Miguelito! I like the skin tones a lot...and the choice of color for the headdress is perfect!

Do you now prefer the rougher cloth....? How did you prime the surface before painting?

Mike McCarty · 07-18-2016, 06:12 PM

Carlito,

As far as the chapeau, I've carried it around for many years. it's basically a cloth beret. I've taken untold numbers of photos of women with this hat. And, I've painted it more than a few times. Here's a few that have come and gone over the years, also the source for this painting.

I can't say that I prefer it, although, having gone through this exercise I don't fear it.

I once did a portrait on raw linen which I sized with clear gesso. It was handled much the same as this one. I do like the look of the vignette with this raw material.

I once started a thread about vignettes that that still exists in the "conceptualizing" section. It was quite entertaining. We talked also about corsets and z-coils. But that was over ten years ago and everyone has since gone on to other pastures.