At Lake Muskoka
Acrylic on canvas
36 x 48 inches
Barbara Muir 2011
For the past few weeks I've been working on
a portrait of a friend's husband. My routine
with a commission is pretty straight forward.
The sitter comes to my house in whatever clothes they
will be painted in, we have cookies (by
request), and a drink -- coffee, tea, or a
soft drink, sit in the kitchen, talk about everything.
Then we go into the studio where the sitter poses while I paint
for 10 - 12 minutes. The timer goes off, and we
head back to the kitchen. I time the sitting, but
not the breaks, because I learn so much in the
breaks. And of course while we're talking,
I am studying the sitter, noticing how the nose
looks, his eyes, and what happens when he smiles.
When it seems right we go back and the sitter poses for
another 10 - 12 minutes and so on.
This subject is a sweetheart of a man, well
loved by his wife, and incredibly co-operative
about posing for me. We are almost finished the
painting process. But for today I'll show you a
close up of his face.
Have a working-away-happily day.
4 comments:
this looks very natural Barbara. I like the warm skin tones, so painterly. I'm also interested in your process, how you schedule the painting sessions of 10-12 minutes. I'm impressed by how much you get done in these short sessions.
Barbara this is a beautiful portrait - I'm struck immediatel by the warmth and sensitivity you've conveyed - also of the kindness in your sitter's demeanor - beautifully painted!
love, Marcia
Hi Sally,
Thanks so much. In a two hour sitting the 10 minutes add up, and it means I get to go away and come back, just what we were always told to do. And in 8 or 10 sittings you get a lot of information.
Plus the more important thing is to have fun and enjoy the process.
I did.
Thanks again. Love your work.
XO Barbara
Hi Marcia,
Thanks very much. The sitter is a complete sweetie pie. It would be hard not to show that.
Love Barbara
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