Finishing my demo

…from my celebrity alla prima workshop.

I ran a workshop on Sunday at Splashout art Studios - see here for more info.

In this workshop participants paint a celebrity of their choice in oils. We had a great fun day with fabulous results.

To begin the workshop I perform (I say “perform” because I’m really putting on a performance), where I talk about colour choices, mix my pallet and explain my thinking about that, and then start a portrait.

I rarely finish my demo during the workshops, but I paint them knowing that I can finish them later, in my studio.

6am in the studio

“you’ve got 8 desks…” said husband. The most recent desk is the corner one I inherited from daughter no 1 who got herself a new desk and gave me that one - I was very excited about it too, re-arranged my space and this is what I’ve set up now.

I’ve got a few demo’s I could finish…

John Pickles from the Strath School workshop I did a few months ago…

Maybe I’ll work on this seemings I’ve got my acrylics out already, then I can set up my oils later in the day.

How much green do I want..?

I don’t usually use so much green but I’m liking the green at the moment. Lately I’ve been using more green in my work…maybe it’s a sign of maturity?

Chromium green oxide is my new favourite green. It’s an opaque colour that mixes nicely with other colours. Great for foliage.

So I include it…and it works out well considering his name is pickles.

And in a setting

The next day…

I wanted to get this oil demo finished today, so last night before bed I cleaned the studio and set up so I could get to it in the wee hours of the morning before breakfast.

“10 impossible things before breakfast” - finishing this oil demo might be one of them.

6am - as is my usual way with oils, I mix a full pallet before I start painting.

I get to here before I have to stop and do other things for the day - about an hours worth of painting.

Later that day…

I get back to it - that’s what’s great about oil painting, I can leave the pallet and brushes unwashed and uncovered while I go out for lunch then pick it up again when I get back without having to put anything away, and it’s all still wet.

From here on it’s touch up.(small corrections ) after touch up untill I can’t take it any more -there’s a point near the end where perfection vs paint marks forces me to choose one over the other, I want to see the brush marks and I want to see an accurate representation of the subject, and the more wild brushstrokes I see the less accurate the representation is going to be. It’s a trade off.

Am I done?

So now I’ll hang it on the wall and let it dry before I decide what to do with it.

The end.