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!).

Preparing a new series on Yoga... coming soon to a theater near you!

This summer, I decided to dedicate a series on Yoga, remaining true to my objective of continuing the exploration of the human figure using a contemporary approach to paint application (I know no other way for God's sake!)...

With this series, I would like to explore the abstract aspects of the human figure through unusual cropping and lighting. I would also like to go totally abstract on backgrounds, something I've timidly started to do more recently...

I owe one to my wife's superlative Yoga instructor. I was floored by her skillful demonstration of Yoga poses... coincidentally, I had to be to take these photos! Thank you Geneviève!

Meanwhile, I'm still holding on tight to some garden flowers as we're closing the gap to November.... perhaps as a pure demonstration of machismo in the face of my neighbours ... or is it my inborn need not to give up on the "still living and kicking"...

Moroccan woman commission - steps II-III ... back to the easel after responding to an emergency!

As my mother suffered a transient memory loss (we were informed by one of her neighbors), I had to temporarily move to my parents' place 60 miles from Montreal to take care of this potentially dangerous medical condition (my mother is 87 years old). Before leaving Montreal, I had her take an aspirin as a precautionary measure, which was the right thing to do under the circumstances. Fortunately, this condition appears to be transient with virtually 0% relapse rate. A brain scan revealed nothing... so I have to thank the Guy Upstairs for this positive outcome...

Back to the easel, I applied a few rough layers (thin in the dark areas and thicker in the highlights) going for somewhat of a painterly approach and a prudent monochromatic color scheme (not willing to do pirouettes with this one!)...

I will sleep on it for a night before calling it a "done deal"...

Note to self: "They say that every piece of art is a prayer. Well, if it's the case, then this one is dedicated to my mother...."

Update: Just a few additional brush strokes were required for me to reach satisfaction (mind you, my expectations are low... when it comes to details!)...

Moroccan woman commission - step I extended... the 1% that broke the camel's back!

Looks like my estimated 99% completion rate for step one was a rather rough estimate at best (mind you, I started off with a couple of 3" X 2" photos, one of which was dating back 7 years!)...

If anything, I had to fight doggedly to obtain 100% likeness, luckily obtaining in the process a better representation of the client's facial features, i.e., more conformed to the way she looks now (slightly more streamlined).

Looks like I'm back to "zinc white" country with this one, in an attempt to retain as much color power as possible while working "more opaque". Needless to say, I'm crossing my fingers as I proceed to the next level!

Note: funnily enough, my first attempt at the nose ended up producing a plausible nose... but an eagle beak one! It's interesting to observe that, in portraiture, a quarter inch can "make you or break you"...

Moroccan woman commission - step I... looking for a safety net big time!

I used the prudent approach with this one and, although there were no preliminary drawing, I'm about 99% there in terms of likeness (I got lucky!).

Another transparent wash to define the color scheme and I will be ready for a more expressive color layer... I hope! I'd like the third step to be a finite number of brush strokes. This 3-step approach has served me well in the past...

My short painting sessions for this one were interspersed with a few outdoors activities to entertain visiting family members from Belgium. The Chinese lanterns at the botanical garden were awesome...

... notwithstanding the Mont Tremblant scenery, just before the winter...