Skype painting revisited

Taking a break from painting

stages 9 - 12

Acrylic on canvas

30 x 30 inches

Barbara Muir © 2010

When I was interviewed about Skype by Howard Wolinsky
and again for Pure Design I said that one day I'd like to
make huge Skype paintings.  So far this is the largest size
I've painted purely from Skype.  I've painted many other
portraits using Skype reference, but in this one I'm trying
to show the Skype experience -- the actual look and feel of the
conversation.  Of course the screen look changes
as the technology design changes, and from computer to
computer.  The changes are also affected by the transmission,
by the sophistication of the in-built, or add on camera
each person is using.

I love the images of Henriette I'm working from.  The light
is that magical frosty late night computer light.  But I want
to retain Henriette's warmth, the feeling that comes across
talking to her.  So much fun.  Today I worked on the painting
quite a bit more -- standing back and listening to music while I did.
And I was having such a wonderful time. There will be more to come.

Today I was going for the light, correcting the volume of her hair,
and fleshing in the small symbols that run across the bottom of my
screen.  Some of these are already hieroglyphs of a past moment in
Mac history. Which is just one of the things I think is cool about this
 type of painting.  Everything in it is new for about five seconds, and
then the next technology turns it into a story about a time that's past.

Have a yep-that's-just-how-it-was day.