Daring

It takes daring, with a dash of courage, to attempt a self-portrait. It takes a lot of nerve to display it! So there you have it. I dared myself and now I'll put it out there. 12x12 oil on canvas.

Sometimes you just "gotta".....

After finishing the commission and still working on my mentoring project, I felt the need to play in some colors. It was fun to do a quick painting...not quite a poster study, but not quite as developed as my "serious" work.

My mentor is off duty for a couple of weeks, but I thought I'd recall a few things;

She mentioned putting together a "Vision" book. This is basically a file of photos of paintings that inspire you. Whether you want to paint like the artist, you like the composition or even just color use, include it in your file. This book can be used as ideas for work, can be a tool to refocus you, or just reminders of what qualities you like in other works. It really makes sense! Especially with commissioned groups, you can get ideas for posing the clients, or even lighting ideas.

More later....