New series 2012... gearing up!

Not much painting this week, and mostly thinking a lot about what I'm gonna do next. On Friday, I was lucky enough to have Val  (a friend of the Muse) for a photo session in preparation for my 2012 production...

I used a different tactic this time and relied also on video to capture movement. Lately, I've been interested in going the route of raw Belgium linen for my support... so it's with great excitement that I will initiate my new series in 2012!

Update: The price of Belgium linen is a killer (10 times the price of cotton/linen)... but at least I got a yard... as a Christmas gift to myself!

Bather II final... Getting at the end of the roll... my canvas roll that is!

I still have one piece of raw cotton/linen left after this one... and this will mark the end of my "painting vacation", i.e., painting "no brainer" paintings! I'd like to start some serious work next week. I've got two main series in mind:

• "Vortex", a series of large scale semi-abstract faces and bodies with a spin
• "Private eyes", a series of large scale faces emphasizing the eyes and leveraging unusual viewing angles

I finished this one in a hurry this afternoon, with the sole purpose of accumulating time on raw cotton/linen before getting real serious with my new series...

Note to self: "After all, total freedom may not be incompatible with total figuration..."

Bather II step I... Still in-between series... painting for the sake of painting!

I started a painting this afternoon using a small piece of raw cotton/linen (20 X 24). As usual, I just tried to capture the feel of this pool scene before getting more serious...

I wouldn't mind going for a more colorful approach while working with sweeping brush strokes  to create a bit of a vortex like effect...

Miss Sarajevo - step II... I pedaled for a while!

I was not sure how to approach this one, so and I didn't "cast the die" at step one as usual. The risk is the application of too many layers...

In the end, I went for a night scene with strategic highlights and bullet holes in the half destroyed wall!

Note: this one was shot in the evening light, so it needs to be re-shot in broad daylight. This is a 30 X 30 canvas...

Updated picture:

 

Note to self: "Looking at step I, I just realized that a certain strabismus (misalignment of the eyes) can make a face more "riveting"... sort of a trick from the old masters... and something to keep in mind for future works!

Subnote to self: "There is no two ways about it... the time has come for me to start my painting process on the floor to fully leverage fluid paint on raw canvas... getting a birds' eye view of the painted surface, flying over it like an eagle!" 

Miss Sarajevo - step I... Jumping in with improvisation in mind!

I'm still in a bit of a downer artistically.... so, I just keep painting! An idea came to mind, contrasting beauty with rubble, so I'm trying to implement it...

The challenge will be to make interesting patterns with shifts in values...

Bather final... Beauty makes me nervous?

I ended up being more prudent than I anticipated with this one... could have been that I overcompensated for the half bottle of wine that I had at lunch time with a friend....

This photo was taken under evening lighting, so it will need to be re-shot... More than ever I want to pursue "raw canvas"!

Update (shot in day light):

I'm in a rut artistically... so any subject that catches my fancy is a good candidate!

I have a series in mind but it will require a model, whom I have arranged for before the New Year. In the interim, I'm totally restless not really committing myself to anything. Under such circumstances, I tend to grab anything I can get my hands on in the pursuit of my artistic objectives! Evidently, this is a manner of speaking!

I took a piece of raw canvas this afternoon, and quickly laid the foundation for a bathing woman...

I'm a bit rusty with large scale raw canvas... but I hope to get back on track with this one quickly. I would like to stop thinking about what I'm gonna do... and simply deliver visually speaking.

Note to self: "These days, I seem to be yanking my yin and my yang from one painting to another haphazardly... I like it!"