This is Momma Zawati, her name means "gift"...each line on her face speaks of pain turned into wisdom and loss molded into strength. Her journey is a powerful testament to the beauty of resilience—her spirit shines and she is radiant, like gold illuminating in the art form called kintsugi.
Layer upon layer
Basically for me, painting in layers is just what it sounds like.
I paint a section of a painting, then after it's dry, paint on it again, and again. It's a classical approach that has been done for a long time and taught by many schools of art (or at least it used to be). Famous painters, like Rembrandt, Titian and Rubens painted this way.
It's a different approach than painting "alla prima" (basically one layer, painted in one sitting). For me, painting in layers is a more leisurely paced technique that allows me to slowly build up the painting, without being rushed. This way I can build up colors and textures, creating a rich painting (and every brush stroke doesn't have to be "perfect.")
On the other hand, alla prima is much more about speed. I do this when I paint outdoors, en plein air, where how fast you paint is important. - the approaches are very different.
How many layers? (Actually, that's not really the right question to ask.) I also see some who declare there's a specific number of layers if you're painting in layers. (That would not be my answer.)
My answer? There's no set rule for how many layers you should paint. It's really more about how many you NEED.
For me, the first layer is important and helps me to build a cohesive and luminous painting. That's the imprimatura/bistre layer. After that, I might paint an area in one or two layers, but other areas may need many more to get the result I'm after. By layering, I can build up beautifully rich colors and nuanced details with different types of soft textures or glazed layers. (I'm certainly not keeping count of how many layers I'm painting!)
Happy Dance Time : )
I am thrilled to announce that my artwork, "Sun-Kissed Morning" has been selected by the jury for the International Guild of Realism's Fall Salon International Online Exhibition. It is a great honor to be included among such talented artists from around the world. I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to the jury for this incredible opportunity. I would also like to congratulate all the other finalists on their outstanding achievements.
Murphy and Linda's Portrait
Murphy is a kind, easy going guy. I met with him several times at coffee shops as we inspired each other to come up with a portrait that would represent a journey together for him and his wife. The couple have been married since their youth, and they have always had pets that were a part of the family. So it was decided to incorporate of few of these little guys into the image. Typically a portrait will have a much more simplistic background but this painting needed to be more than just their images, it was to represent their story of togetherness.
This was always one of their favorite pictures, so the plan was to make it the central theme of the portrait.
After the painting was about halfway completed, Camille made the decision to use a different photo for Linda because this photograph was challenging to work with, especially when it came to the “details” (they say that the devil can be in the details, yep…art joke)
here are a few images of the progression
drawing and underpainting stage
Putting on a new face
The underpainting helps in determining the values needed in each area.
After spending an enormous amount of time on their portrait, our home caught fire. I waited outdoors for the firemen to arrive. Our entire street was filled with white smoke. Our neighbor said it was so thick she couldn’t see across the street. Several fire trucks came, a few police cars, and the paramedics. You know what they say “if your home was to catch on fire, what would you run in to get?” Yep, I actually had that thought. “MURPHY’S PAINTING!” Then in I ran, but I didn’t have to run through fire, just plenty of smoke. I darted up the stairs when I heard a fireman shout at me. “What do you think you are doing?” I shouted back “I’m trying to save something”. He then yelled out “get out NOW!” So I left (after getting the painting to a safe place.)
Our son and daughter-inlove we so kind to take us in to stay with them while we transitioned into a rental house. I had a makeshift studio in their sunroom. When my grand-darling would get home from daycare, she’d sit on my lap and pretend to paint. (Her brushes did not have paint 😁)
Because of hurricane Ida, the fire and the first and few other hurdles I had to cross…this portrait took longer than usual to deliver to Murphy, but he was graciously patient with me.
I have a video that shows the progression here from beginning to end:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmjJiTXtMsc&t=22s
Hope you enjoy!
Girl with the Mardi Gras Beads
Mardi Gras #parades are canceled but #mardigras2021 Nola art is NOT!
I’m keeping the spirit alive with some Vermeer Inspiration.
Nola Arts District Show
Hey everyone, I’m gearing up for a spring show at Gallery 600 on Julia Street, New Orleans in March.
The ART WALK is Saturday, March 6th 4:00-6:00, I hope you can come.
Here’s a sneak peek at a few of the paintings that will be there…
The Soul Awakening
Progression of a painting.
Oil on panel
About this artwork:
The Soul Awakening is about a place that you come to where you become enlightened in some unexplainable way. There is a connection between your spirit and a great force that works for the good in your life and imparts a light in your heart and mind that can not be explained in mere words. Each person goes through a dark time in life, the darkness can engulf you like being sucked into a black hole, but in the midst of the darkness comes a place of growth where your soul is awakened by light. This light could seem very small like a faraway star but nevertheless the light illuminates the darkness around you and brings hope for a brighter tomorrow.
A gift from the heart
I was contacted about creating a very special Christmas gift from Angela to her boyfriend. This famous New Orleans store is on Canal Street, Rubensteins. Canal street has been a hub for shops and markets for over a hundred years. Angel’s boyfriend buys his suits there, as his father did and his grandfather. It’s now a family tradition.
This was a very customized painting, adding in his porsche, a street car & many Christmas decorations.
Progression shown of custom oil painting.
La Department of Military
Oil on a linen canvas
James H Mays
Command Sergeant Major
Louisiana Army National Gaurd
Size 24" x 30"
It can be challenging to show the work in progress. Over two months of work has been condensed into about 2 minutes.
Starlight
Oil Painting with Silver Leaf gilding 18" x 24"
Kylie's Portrait
Minor changes are being made to Kylie, and major changes will be in the background.
Signed, sealed, delivered.
Kylie's photoshoot was done over a year ago, she grew a lot since I last saw her.
Seeing the faces of the family when I deliver a painting is so much fun. I would like my art and my life to brighten the corner of a small place in this world each day. I love painting children, they inspire me with their sweet spirits & purity of heart. May we all become like children with a heart that is pure and full of love to share with others around us.
The Story behind the Arceneaux Portrait
Mr Arceneaux contacted me about createing a portrait for his wife (a surprise Christmas present).
He sent family pictures for me to work from, however I needed to add another person, his father-in-law. His wife lost her father last year, his passing broke her heart. A photo of him dancing with her at their wedding would suffice for this project.
Their little boy needed some adjusting...
liked his face here:
& his pose here:
For her dad, I would have to find someone to pose for some photos so I could create a new body of him for the portrait. My husband was the model. (He's a model husband.)
A rough draft was sent for approval & critiquing:
Two different photos were used to create the background. Well, that's the beginning of the story. The end of the story has not arrived as of yet.
PS. The drawing & underpainting was completed by Christmas, to give as a gift.
The first photo really did show enough of the Mom's likeness because her head was tilted downward...another photo was used to replace her head.
Here's a short video showing the whole progression of the painting:
