Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Waiting


Waiting
Oil on Panel
30 x 15"


I have a new muse, and an extra layer of visual storytelling has become possible. My new model is an actress, and came with a bumper box of costumes and ideas - I'm so lucky! I actually borrowed this wig a little while back from an artist friend, Ali Warren, and had been turning over ideas about how to use it ever since. It's so incredibly tall I had to really think about the best way to compose a painting around it. This was a good exercise in edges too, as I haven't really painted tight curls before. It's still hair, so can't be too hard-edged, but is also a very structured (man-made) thing, so can't be too soft and fuzzy either.

I met with fellow creatives Phyllis Shafer, Suzanne Roberts and Kim Wyatt last week for our first critique group (Tahoe Artists Network), and took this piece along with me. It was an incredibly valuable idea exchange, and I came away full of inspiration and drive to create more of these paintings.