My post-workshop brain is spinning! Always after a workshop I find that I have painting setbacks. I am not sure why, I think it is my brain fighting itself- the whole analytical verses creative as I try to process what I learned! Art is not easy - I have found that it is quite like college where you have to learn, apply, read, process and interact to glean essential information.
Above are my quick gestures from my workshop last week. None are "finished" and none would go in any galleries, but I did learn something from each and every one. Not only did we study gesture portraits we also dabbled in palettes.
This is a portrait painted with black white and grey (oh value)! And, I always find limited palettes challenging. I learned that I need to spend more time working on value - most especially once one adds color. I struggled with this, but there is a model likeness.
I didn't really have time to perfect or attain exact likenesses but there are some pleasing effects. The man in the green hat is a success, but not because it matches the real life colors. I find it successful because I was able to mix colors using a limited palette. I think this palette was ultramarine blue, cad yellow, rose madder and white. My struggle here was to get darks - the hat was darker in real life. Another struggle was not adding any white to the grey beard on the shadow side - it is very warm brown and red-ish.
Also important to note is the lack of details. There are no eyeballs, no little details and they are not needed to interpret the face. I do love the painterly style and looseness. I think I will study and pursue this further - quick values and portrait gestures and maybe even limited palettes...
