Faces Sidebar

In reflecting back on any history I might have of drawing or painting faces, I made reference a few days ago to replicating a self-portrait originally drawn for the cover of my kindergarten report card. 

I painted an update some 60 years later, with two thoughts in mind. The first was to make a gift for my mom for her 86th birthday, something uncomplicated to express my love. Two months after her birthday she experienced a stroke that landed in the lap of her advancing dementia, and she moved to a nursing home. From the time of that birthday until her death eight months later, I made sure the framed painting was perched near her as a way to hug her when I wasn't present in person.

The other impetus behind that particular self-portrait was that the original conveyed such apparent ease of expression, confidence, and lack of self-consciousness, three feelings I wanted to develop as a no-longer-five-year-old painter. Ironically, for many reasons, the act of replicating was not one of ease, confidence, or lack of self-consciousness; I was very deliberately paying attention to detail and fussing to get the copy right! 

But that impetus to loosen up persisted. Enter Amanda Evanston's The Art of Abstract Faces course, a frank invitation to go wild! The kindergartner in me is revived!

birthday gift for Mom 2015

detail used for online profile picture

   
going wild

Running on Empty

Not for the first time at this point in any given astronomical year, I find myself running on empty, yearning for a snug little cave in which to curl up for a month or two.

This feeling was especially strong yesterday when I called the customer service number for an order gone wrong and was informed by a recorded voice that the wait time to speak with a representative was 209 minutes.

209.

Really???

Good night.

In the absence of a suitable cave, I picked up a paint brush.

 WIP, first marks

WIP, layers of greens

WIP, more color and texture

WIP, scribbles