i'm about to begin the painting best left unsaid 12, 16x16" you as can see, i'm working on a drafting table with the source photo to my left. the oil colors have been squeezed onto the palette, as well as the medium (yellowish blobs.) it's always scary to begin. so here i go. updates as they become available in a while...
11:55 am update: i've begun painting the figure: first row, right. this is not a green i normally use, which makes it kind of a turn-on. doesn't take much to get me turned on, does it? did you notice my turtle neck is on inside out?
12:50 pm update: i've inserted photos of the progress of this painting; the lower you go the more recent stage you see. on the bottom row left is a detail showing "wet into wet." this is one of the basic elements in the technique of oil painting, and one of the reasons the transition was made from egg tempera to oil in about 1500 AD. oil paint remains wet for at least a day, allowing the artist to paint into it in such a way that the color already applied blends with the color you're painting into it with, giving you a sensually rich, subtle result impossible to obtain with egg tempera, which dries immediately. if you have the opportunity to visit any of the major museums, have a close look at a frans hals portrait or a goya, for example to see what i mean.
1:59 pm update: i'm going to have to call it a day; we have a meeting over at the house in a half hour. so the image on the lower right is where the painting is at, and i'll resume tomorrow morning. it's almost at a stage where best left unsaid could kick in and i could leave it "unfinished." stay tuned....i may post more images of examples of the painterly possibilities of oil paint later.
