Yoga pose V... another large canvas: I'm a glutton for punishment!

I selected this one for my last 36 X 36 canvas...

I think converging lines in the ceiling can add to the design. Hopefully, my process with this one will be less painful and more streamlined!

Update: I've decided to keep this one in the back burner for now. The foreshortened arm can be a challenge visually even if well rendered. An "easy street" solution would be to extend it sideways and get rid of the leg... but then it becomes like a typical dance pose. I need to think about this one!

Yoga pose IV - final step... from paint to matter in a circumvoluted manner!

After a number of pirouettes, I decided to call this one "done" ...

An interesting twist: my cumbersome multilayered approach led to some interesting discoveries in the area of textures and working with "matter" as opposed to paint. So even though this painting is a technical failure by my own definition, key learnings that emanated from the exercise may influence my future works...

Note to self: "I persisted with this one and I'm glad I did. Difficult paintings are a fertile ground for growth!"

Yoga pose IV - step IV... experimenting my way to oblivion!

Realizing too late that any background design would compete against the figure unless much lower in value, I decided to use this painting as a ground for experimentation...

... with the palette knife. In a way, I was forced to do some real painting, something I've managed to avoid as much as possible (favouring the image maker as opposed to the painter).

I will do a last pass to lengthen the hair to make a better balance with the upper body (I backed off to move forward again, trying to find better movement!) before calling it quit...

Yoga pose IV - step III ... still stuttering with this new pictorial language!

I feel I'm getting closer to my vision after 7 hours of work on this 36 X 36 canvas (not counting the thinking time!)...

... but would like more value variations on the background, and some subtle "smoothing out", corrections (e.g., forehead and neck areas) and color variations here and there.

I'm having a hard time with this mixed technique (i.e., getting what I want) and the klutz in me is reappearing stronger than ever as my painting process gets interrupted by sporadic "panic city" episodes... with colors dripping all over my shoes! I'm in the "no pain no gain" zone!

Note to self: "With these non vertical positions, working with a relatively small photo as opposed to a model, it would be easier for me to rotate the figure so that the head is in a vertical position... at least at the initial stage."

Yoga pose IV - step II ... doubled crossed and in trouble!

With this second quick pass with the palette knife (30 minutes), I tried to commit to the color scheme I had in mind... but only got half way there...

I was still trying to figure out some movement in the background... as I noticed the pattern of the central reinforcement bar from the stretcher (adding another cross pattern to the composition)... the result of over-enthusiasm with the palette knife!

A couple of hours of work in the afternoon led to this rather "rough on the edges" version...

I'd like to do something different than a blue black background (my specialty)... perhaps it's too much to ask for now! This one will make me sweat... I can feel it!

Yoga pose IV - step I... a textural dog's breakfast for now, but I'm starting to see the light!

I would like to leverage purples, oranges, reds and yellows with this one... but I'm still clueless about what to do with the background... as usual...

At this stage, I'm desperately looking for viable patterns of light to avoid having the armpit as focal point (reference photo)!

Meanwhile, I'm doubling as a carpenter (not my forte!) in an attempt to revamp a storage room in the basement after having gotten rid of a large defunct oil tank going back in the 50's. The extra shelves will allow me to have a more spacious area which I plan to use for epoxy varnishing...


... pretty simple design, I'll grant you that... but this is only like the "underpainting"!

Yoga pose IV... Getting ready to take another plunge!

I'd like to use a different color scheme for this one... but I'm not sure which one...

I'm taking a deep breath... while crossing my fingers!

Yoga pose III - final... hung in there... but almost got hung in my own underwear!

I had a hard time getting what I wanted for the background using a mixture of color washes and paint marks here and there...

I also had a hard time dosing the pure quinacridrone violet as I underestimated its power relative to the magenta version... fortunately, the whole scene is dark any way.

A saving grace: this painting opens up the avenue of mixed techniques for me... and God knows where this is gonna lead me...

Meanwhile on the front porch, a glimpse of hope late November...

... knowing that everything is on borrowed time!

Yoga pose III- step III... searching for the balance between 2 techniques: a balancing act to say the least!

Changing technique means organized despair for a while... at least for me. I'm mixing palette knife and brush work, transparent and opaque painting... and want to retain the effects of the first pass...

Moreover, I'm also using a violet as a red and I seem to be having magenta withdrawal symptoms! It's no surprise that looking at me painting is like looking at a dog in a bowling alley! Despite all of this, I'm close to where I want to be, by hook or crook...

Note: I want to go back to a slightly more purplish blue highlight for the Yoga outfit but want to retain some of that complementary turquoise tint... also want to warm up the blue black a little...

Yoga pose III - step II... Still trying to resolve the background... bit by bit!

With this second rather rough layer, I've tried as much as possible to retain the fluidity of the first one while using heavy impasto gel mixed with my paint. While using the palette knife, I found myself dragging some residual paint with a sponge to even things out a little (you can call that cheating!)...

I've got a find a way to drag some of the dark tone into the remaining lighter areas while making the transition interesting and gradual. I haven't worked too much on the anatomy yet... and I have to say that the appearance of an elbow at the unbent arm joint is sticking out "like a sore thumb"!

Yoga pose III - step I... a start reminescent of the men from Lascaux!

I've been chasing art supply all morning and, to my surprise, all Montreal artists seem to be going for square canvases these days. As a result, I couldn't find any large ones (I had to settle for a few 24 X 30 for now)!

I didn't have much time to paint today but did spend half an hour though delineating this Yoga posture more clearly (I did a rough first pass with a palette knife yesterday using a couple of colors mixed with modeling paste). For some reason, I seem to have begun like your average caveman with this one...

... may be I should pursue in the same vein!

Yoga pose III - On the starting block with another one!

I've got three more 36 X 36 canvases... so I chose this next Yoga posture which I find suitable for a larger size. Some movement registered in this photo...

... it would be interesting to convey this in paint...

Yoga series - I think it's a start: my usual fetish photo after 2 paintings!

After a couple of paintings which are the sum total of a fair amount of uncertainty and hesitation (when I start something new, I never know if I'm coming of going!), I feel comfortable saying that I've actually started this new series...

My first painting (top) was literally a "fail safe" portrait of the Yoga instructor I'm using as a model for this series. The second one (bottom) is more representative of the new direction I finally want to take in 2010, i.e., mixing techniques and emphasizing textures more than ever. In my quest for textures, I found that by creating partly absorbent (paste) and partly non absorbent (gel) grounds, I could leverage both watercolor and opaque painting techniques. In a way, I want portions of any of my paintings to appear unfinished as if reality is gradually emerging from nothingness...

Note: Just notice the empty 1 liter bottle of Merlot... not a bad mileage in the making of 2 large paintings!

Yoga pose II - final step... trying to commit to some form of value scheme... an impass!

With this last pass, I tried to commit to a value scheme of dark patterns over medium values with highlights on both the figure and the foreground. As an experiment, I stamped out textures in the background in an attempt to give more place to the figure... I then changed my mind and redid the background... trying to part from the textural aspect of the foreground for variety!

Although my new process is far from being optimal for now, I feel pumped up for the next painting of this series!

Note: For some reasons the previous lime green background felt weak... I went for army khaki with touches of lime! Also, I felt there were no commitment on the previous background, dabs instead of sweeps!

Note to self: "I need to get used to painting with a palette knife, especially backgrounds. Also, adopting a a new style is accepting/getting used to a new look... and this is difficult... leaving something behind!"

Yoga pose II - step III... springing back a little!

With this last pass, I went back to my normal way of painting trying to retain, with some difficulty, the spirit of the fluid first pass....

I will wait for tomorrow to apply finishing touches and corrections. At any rate, it is a departure from my previous painting style... and the beginning of a promising new process that I would like to explore further...

Note to self: "In retrospect, my new palette of primary colors is likely to give me what I want... extreme color saturation!"

Yoga pose II - step II... taking my courage with both hands... and my brush with the other!

After my more traditional previous painting (although I got many positive comments, it's not the direction I want to take ultimately), I've decided to "really give it a go" with this second one from the series... and go for broke...

An apparent mixture of dripping paint and paste is what I'm after... hopefully, I will be able to make some sense out of these patterns and bring uniformity with a minimum of interventions!

Note to self: "After 2 years of experimentation with acrylics, I feel the time has come to use my whole artistic arsenal to see what comes out of it. I want my art to be totally me... with no restrictions. The sum of everything that I've learned so far from watercolors to Chinese black ink and acrylics."

Yoga pose II... proceeding with the task at hand... and dripping!

Although I still have a few additional creative ideas for the first Yoga posture that I have just tackled, I will let them simmer for a while as I proceed with the painting of another posture...

I kinda like the patterns of light and shadows with this one... and I decided to go with a different color scheme for a change...

I also want to retain a loose style throughout as I go "more opaque". I'm desperate to part from my previous painting patterns, embracing a more fluid style... mixing techniques indiscriminately and leaving more to chance!

Note to self: "The first of this series will be an odd ball... but this needs to be done... I'm going for creative freedom! I feel I have done enough with my semi controlled style of contemporary figuration. I want to go to the next level... or at least attempt to do so for the nth time!"

Yoga pose I - final step... and perhaps biting more than I can chew!

This one was a bit more tedious than I thought... because I was not sure where I was going at the initial stage...

After 10 hours of wrestling with it, I was ready for my usual "sleep on it" creative pause before calling it quit. Some additional surgical brush strokes and adjustments in colors here and there sort of did it for me... even though I can't wait for the next one to do better!

Note: In terms of design, I wanted the sky to appear to be doing Yoga movements as well, and this was replicated on the foreground with more or less a mirror image of the sky in the sand. In a way, this painting was fun to do since I've always admire the work of fantasy artists...

Note to self: "This is the first of the series and as such, it's a bit too stiff for my liking. More than ever, I want to maintain the looseness of the first full color pass with semi transparent paint... with colors flying all over the place... many of them remaining separate. I may have to change my technique for that though... and I will!"

Yoga pose I - step III... a last minute design shift!

For the third pass, I worked primarily on the sky. I also tried to get a better feel for highlights on the figure... at the expense of contrast for now....

As I was ready to call it a day, a comment from the muse and my step son's wife regarding the relevance of the yoga carpet, or lack thereof, prompted me to obliterate it in a flash... proving that "test marketing" a painting before completion can be a good thing! I need more color nuances to be satisfied with this one...

Note to self: "I see great potential in the semi opaque technique that I used in the previous step (color brilliance, watercolor-like), a technique that I used 2 years ago for my women's eyes series. To be successful though with more elaborate subjects, I need to know exactly where I'm going from the get go, just like with watercolors..."

Yoga pose I - step II... going the route of cosmic art... may the gods be with me!

After some initial hesitation, I decided to fully engage in a surrealist approach (although not in the rendering) with this one, prudently testing the ground with colors mixed with pure liquid medium (thicker paint and general highlights will be reserved for the third pass)...

After having set the stage for two light sources (sun and moon), now I have to follow suit and part from the lighting used for my photo shoot! I dug up some old art books on Boris Vallejo and Frank Frazetta in an attempt to find some inspiration. This is a 36 X 36 canvas...

Note: "My research revealed that a full moon at sunset is possible and the moon and the sun would be opposite to each other. Needless to say, I used artistic license by setting the sun higher than it should be in association with an orange lower sky...."

Yoga pose I step I... in the mood to experiment!

With this one, I decided to start off with modeling paste mixed with a few colors to create an absorbent and somewhat textured ground...

My intent is to use watery colors as a second step before proceeding with more opaque colors. The lighting will be surreal... as if there were the sun and the moon at the same time (astronomically possible but I'm sure this set up would not pass scientific validation!).