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In Process - Brittany Portrait



FROM TOP : in process and bottom completed painting. "Cody," commissioned 8" x 10" portrait of a Brittany Spaniel.
 
I love my wet palette box - it works wonders with acrylics. The setup is a shallow plastic box with a sealed lid. A thin sponge rests across the base of the box, and you lay a piece of specially prepared paper overtop that, upon which you can then lay out your acrylics and mix your paints.
 
The beauty of a fresh palette is inviting, with the neatly lined up rows of color waiting to be introduced to each other. But there's also an incredible lure to a palette that's hosted a wild party, with hues and tints racously lying about.
 
It's hard for me to roll up that piece of palette paper and say goodbye to the remnants. I can see the next 12 shades I'm going to mix right in front of me. And I don't want to waste the paint. Yet I should have done that tonight.
 
My paint was forming a skin on it, and while the puddles of flesh and violets were indeed gorgeous, they were also gummy. Of course, by the time I consciously realized this, I was also in the flow of the process, and had to choose either to break that rhythm and build a fresh palette or tough it out and make the most of a poor situation.
 
I tried to tough it out, and almost had the painting done, but realized the eyes were uneven. I fixed those and then the nose didn't match the center of the face. Then one ear wasn't the right value. I began fighting with the painting's surface. So after rubbing this poor boys face out multiple times, I'm going to call it a night.
 
I'll toss the gooey mess inside my palette box, let this painting dry, and start anew in the morning. 
 
For every nice painting I do there are at least 5 like this. It's just that those 5 usually happen earlier in the day, and I don't have to share them on the blog. And they almost always happen when I try to extend my palette's life a little.  Serves me right for playing hookey today and then trying tonight to rush through things in the studio.
 
But it was worth it!! It's nice to get out into the real world every so often.
 
And I'll get this painting fixed and looking gorgeous in the morning.
Thanks, as always, for looking at my art!
See you tomorrow,
Kim

PS NOTE FROM 4-22 Can you see the things I fixed? the color is softer, the nose and eyes aligned properly, and a number of other minor shifts that take the piece from ho-hum to a stronger likeness. Now to see if the client likes it......
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