Thinking Ahead

Oil Stick Start for one of my Inspired By paintings

My art group and I have been working toward a September art show in a fabulous gallery. We have been creating and tracking poses as well as tracking the number of completed poses and completed paintings. The gallery is large and we want to have enough completed works to fill the gallery. The great news is that we are on target for completed works!

For this particular show, each artist chose their Inspiration which could be anything: an artist, a pose, a photo, anything. Then the artist created a pose with a live model and costumes. I was Inspired by an artist's work at the Sargent show in Chicago last year. Boldini was a Sargent contemporary, a portrait painter who exaggerated figures and painted expressively, I adore his works.

I have completed 8 out of 14 poses and I am happy with this number. What does completed mean? To me, that means that I have a finished painting - one that I like and will be happy to put in the gallery show; one which is ready for a signature, varnish and a frame. Why don't I have 14 poses? Well, not every painting is a winner, I did attempt each pose but not every thing that I painted is show worthy, we all have good and bad days.

Even though the show will not be hung for several months, I have started signing and varnishing works. Additionally, I have purchased several frames - this is also an important decision. What looks best with the work--gold, silver, black? For four paintings thus far, I have chosen a gold rimmed black frame. Yes, it does seem as though I was early in ordering frames; however some frames that I looked at are on back order, and a frame does complete a work.

I am particularly excited about a bright gold frame that I just ordered for my Degas Inspired By painting. The painting is of a ballerina in a light bright tutu and I thought a black frame may be perhaps too dark. I wanted to try ordering frames from a new company, so fingers crossed it all works out!