I started this painting in 2020 during the COVID lockdown period. I kept imagining a little piece of paradise floating in tropical waters. It was all but finished except that it needed a figure, and I remained undecided forever about it . . . that is, until recently. Even though isolation can foster a feeling of NOT belonging, I wanted the figure in this scene to have a sense of place, of belonging there, as if isolation is a chosen thing.
This nude study is based on a painting by Guillaume Seignac, entitled "The Awakening of Psyche." I'm planning to attend a figure painting workshop this summer and feel the need to paint nudes to kind of get in shape for the workshop.
Just a doodle based on a Peter Wileman painting, playing around with color and shape here. I like the color combos and the overall composition.
This is my third portrait of Amy Winehouse, who never ceases to fascinate me. With this portrait, I wanted to capture her edgier side. She came off much more innocent in my first try, then the second I left unfinished, as I wasn't happy with it. I like this one, though. I feel I got what I was after with it. There was often an undercurrent of anger in her, but that was also part of her appeal, her fire. A highly emotional singer, she didn't hold back.
This is a quick study that I rendered for a larger painting I envision that may not look much like this one when I'm done. This was just to get familiar with the figure's contours. I wanted an elongated torso a la Modigliani, so I exaggerated it on this figure based on the Matisse sculpture "Reclining Nude."
