Bigger is better. Oh, Really?
Remember this guy?
I really liked this subject- thought there was too much to get into an 8 X 10 so I upped my own ante and leaped exponentially into an 18 X 24.
” Win A Goat ” oil on stretcher canvas 18 X 24- almost finished.
It’s the dangblasted shirt that’s got me vexed, to use a classically Crucian expression. I have to forget that the shirt is white because the brightness of the glare of full sun is tripping up the value. This is the first time I’ve worked this size in oil. Large areas without enough detail become flat and have no eye appeal.
Too much detail and the shirt won’t be finished before the goat dies.
Scraped some off, letting it dry out a bit and will finish it if it kills me or the goat and I will go together.
Tropical storm Bonnie blew through here, yes, that’s right, and how much rain did we get? How surprised was I when I went to dump the bird’s water bowl?
Nothing surprises Chili Pepper- he’s the original coolster.
And just because you may have missed her royal peachiness…. Cloud on her divan.
Tags: Bigger is Better, Caribbean Art, Cat tales/tails, Chili Pepper, Cloud, I Can't Believe I Painted the Whole Thing, oil painting
Asheville: The North West of The South East 
July 28, 2010 at 7:51 pm |
Bonnalaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, that face in the first sketch scared the bejesus out of me! Yikes. What were you doing there?
But of course, it ended up as a fabulous painting. I agree that the shirt should be whiter. But perhaps whiter with colors like the reflection of the awesome green from the fence and blue from his jeans?
I would have jumped sky high if there was a frog in Kaiya’s bowl! Chili Pepper and Cloud are the best. Kisses to all (even Kelly!)
July 28, 2010 at 10:33 pm |
Carollllaaaaa, your candor is the thing that keeps it honest. And I honestly didn’t realize that his eyes looked like two holes from the shooting range.
Your suggestions are going with me to the canvas. Now can you come over and DO it for me?
July 28, 2010 at 8:03 pm |
Wow, the larger size has allowed you to put detail and expression into his face! It’s odd how a change in scale can change everything. Those large areas without subject-matter detail will still have the detail provided by the paint itself and movement of the brush across the canvas. That’s a whole new opportunity!
Maybe if you’d won that goat, he could have helped keep the bush down after the rains…
July 28, 2010 at 10:38 pm |
Don- in fact, this is the closest I’ve come to a portrait, given the size of the canvas. So I wanted most of the focus to be on the face and general
” sit ” of the body. Still, it’s a lot of surface to cover to fill that garment and getting the color/value relationship has been a challenge, given the darkness of skin, midrange of the background and not wanting too much white which in oil can look chalky. It’s been a learning process working on figuring it out.
I knew I’d be able to count on some intelligent input from art friends.
Thanks for yours.
PS- Kelly and I ( well mostly I, would love to have a goat but then I’d never leave the house OR the hill. )
July 28, 2010 at 8:15 pm |
Bonnie, you are so, so talented drawing the clothed figure, it’s remarkable! Very, very nice.
In the first sketch, the guy’s face creeped me out soooooo bad. I guess that’s one reason he’s called the “goat-man”? 🙂
Hm, lots of surprises going on…fake squirrel tails in sinks, frogs in bowls. I have some trepidation about what’s next.
Tropical storm Bonnie? Really? Something made you angry?
Chili knows how to use his tail so elegantly.
And Miss Clousseau…well…she’s just too cute to even know what to say. I love the belly. Great for snorgling!
July 28, 2010 at 10:41 pm |
No Jala- he creeped out Carol too. Those eyes are like bullet holes. I think I did justice to his expression in the painting though.
I would love it if someone would come over ( hint hint – you know it’s cooler here than where you are ) and fix and finish this for me.
I’m thinking we have a collective between us of some damn cute animals, and the opportunity to catch them being snorgleable.
July 29, 2010 at 12:14 am |
Just wanted to tell you to go on with the goatman painting. It has promise.
But I just love your picture of the frog. I love frogs and that picture certainly captures the intricacy of the eye. Uopn closser look the are really golden.
The angle you took for you cat is classic feline ease and serenity. It seems to say- “Phuu, Silly human.”
The pooch is a spontanious, character filled picture of what a happy dog should look like. I like the light you captured for that image.
Keep painting!
July 29, 2010 at 9:57 am |
Welcome Sylvie, fellow St. Croix soul. Thanks for lending the encouragement. One of the benefits of this macro lens is that the camera sees it the way the eye cannot. That’s when I also realized that the Cuban Tree Frog has golden eyes.
Glad you get the animal love- there’s lots of it here.
July 29, 2010 at 4:45 am |
Forget the shirt and put him in bib overalls. It’ll work! Then you don’t have to fuss with that design on the front of the shirt? Your initial drawing looks as though the front of the bibs are already there. Just a thought as you already have the white shirt yoke and sleeves. I admire your paintings. Absolutely cool photos but that tree frog actually looks like he was waiting for you to appear and take his picture!
July 29, 2010 at 10:06 am |
Leslie- what a great idea. How dense sometimes that I don’t see another way ” around ” an obstacle and keep trying to get through it. Go Around, she said, go Around.
I will try that. And you’re right about the front of the shirt- it was a distraction but it needed something.
This is what I love about my blog brethren.
Thanks Leslie!
That frog WAS smiling, really, wasn’t he!
July 29, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Thank-you, Bonnie. There are so many times I don’t see the easy answer to a way around something I don’t like about my own work. I hope it works. Yes, the frog genuinely looks as though he knows you are not going to hurt him.
July 29, 2010 at 11:55 am |
I thought goat man was ghost man at first! Love the result, and the suggestion for bib overalls might work well if you want to do it, although there’s something to be said for working out the whites . . . no wonder it’s easy to get sidetracked with the darling animals to distract you. Your phots of them are such a treat. Glad Bonnie did no harm
July 29, 2010 at 7:38 pm |
Ghost man seems apropos, JoAnn- as it’s barely visible. I’ve nailed some whites before in smaller paintings. I may decide to do a few test patches to see how best to balance the values against dark skin and light/bright background.
Glad you too can appreciated the distraction of interminably cute animals who are also very affectionate.
We both have to keep our eyes on the skies for the next few months- happy you stopped here again.
July 29, 2010 at 1:45 pm |
Wow. This is a beauty. Size does matter silly. But, you managed to to make his facial hair white (tinged with yellow cuz I know that territory) and his shirt white but they look different whites! I think you have this figured out but it’s the size takes more time. If that guy was my friend, I’d buy him this portrait even if I had to sell my goat to afford it.
July 29, 2010 at 7:41 pm |
Pat of the sharp eye- you’re right about the yellow tinge as the gentleman was of a ” particular ” age, and his shirt was glaringly white which I chose to make more of a blue cast to differentiate.
Your offer sends me. That expression is probably familiar to one who understands yellow tinged white hair.
July 29, 2010 at 2:19 pm |
The guy may be creepy – but the drawing is fabulous.
And one can never post too many pics of kitties for me.
July 29, 2010 at 7:43 pm |
Hi Patrice- the guy is not nearly as creepy as my portrayal of his eyes- I tried to ameliorate that injustice in the painted version.
Ah yes, kitties- if you want to check another favorite artist blogger kitty slave, go have a look at :
http://jalapfaff.blogspot.com/
She’s talented, funny and has kitties that won’t disappoint you.
Thanks for leaving a note.
July 29, 2010 at 8:32 pm |
I just had to come back and let you know… jala and I are old (blogger) buds – in fact we’ve been said to be doppelgangers… Her cat pics (and dog pics) are astonishing.
July 29, 2010 at 11:06 pm |
Wow, my ears were burning! I’m being talked about! Cool! 😉
Actually, just to clarify, long ago I had suggested that it’s SamArtDog who is Patrice’s doppelganger.
July 30, 2010 at 11:27 am |
This isn’t the first time we’ve had conversations about you on my blog. Cracks me up – the overlapping circles.
July 30, 2010 at 3:42 am |
Oh dear… my brain must be fried from all this hundred degree weather.
Yes, it’s SamArtdog who’s my doppelganger… I always associate that with Jala – since it was her doings. I wonder if Sam is anywhere as absent minded as me? I mean – I know it’s Sam – but duh!
And it’s cool to keep coming back and looking at bonnieluria’s drawings. I like them better and better.
July 30, 2010 at 11:29 am |
Patrice- keep coming back- and we’ll keep talking about Jala’s animals and her paintings.
Now we’re only missing Sam.
We need her to chime in.
Sam- yooooo-hooooo where ARE you?
August 1, 2010 at 9:36 pm |
Your drawings always get to me with their strong expressive lines so full of energy. Then, your painting follows with such humanity. I think you’ve imbued his face with kindness and history. I’ll bet he has stories to tell!
Your “Royal Peachiness” is the icing on the cake when visiting!
August 4, 2010 at 1:38 am |
Yoo-hoo, Saaaaaam, where are youuuuuu?
August 4, 2010 at 1:47 am |
ha ha ha…
Oh Sam, oh Sa-aaam….
(prolly went swimmin’)
August 4, 2010 at 3:03 pm |
I have a thing about chalky whites and just had to apologize to a dear friend and fellow painter for commenting on her use of white 😦
Oy Vay.
Anyway, look at some of Frank Benson’s work. He was sort of the original ‘white’ expert.
Love reading about your adventures in St Croix and looking at the photos of the sweet furry ones.
August 20, 2010 at 11:14 am |
[…] to painters Carol King and Bonnie Luria for showing/explaining their work in progress and getting the ol’girl on board with showing […]