New Painting: Dulcinea de la Mancha

First there was this sketch, done at a bar, over a pint of Sierra Nevada on a warm Friday afternoon:



The next day, the painting emerged. Mostly acrylic, but Duclinea is done totally in guache.

The Show Last Night

Last night's show went well. For the first time, I actually hung around the Upstate Artists Guild longer than usual. Below is a picture of my "muse" and friend Rebecca and the painting of her. I cannot express enough gratitude for her patience in the process. For a first piece of a posed model, I think it went well. As we had limited time, I used photographs instead of sketching or painting directly, which was fortunate, because I changed pictures in the middle of the process.

What is neat about this painting is that I do not think I have seen a photo where the subject is NOT smiling. So, I intentionally had her not smile for this. And we got the sword in the picture.



Below is a picture of yours truly, back to the goatee look after 8 months of full beard. Best to get some sun on my face before the fall.

Completed Works

This is called "Breakfast," and could conceivably be an exterior scene from the American Primitive script.



This piece is called, "Hung Over," for hopefully obvious reasons. And yes, the black and white thing on the table, with his paw over his face, is a cat in a contorted sleeping position. The other day, I simply sketched my cat, Dr. Strangelove, while he napped and then created a setting around him. It's one of my favorites.

Work In Progress: "Hung Over."

Note: No animals were fed wine, bourbon or any other alcoholic substance, nor were they actually hung over during the making of this painting.

New Paintings

Yesterday (July 26) was quite a productive day, in terms of paintings. Below are three completed ones.

This first one is an 80th birthday tribute to my favorite director, Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick was also a chess master, who used to play in Washington Square in his youth. It is called, "Beyond the Infinite."



This one is titled, "The Return of Don Quixote," and alludes to the idea that his dulcinea will pick up the sword, don the golden helmet and become the new knight errant.



Lastly, this is to be included in a show that begins next Friday (August 1) and is my first attempt of a painting taken from a live model. Our time was limited, so I used photography and selected a shot from which to paint. Originally, the subject was to be used for "The Return of Don Quixote," but I was not happy that it looked much like my subject, so I started from scratch and did this one. It is nowhere near perfect, but closer than above.

A Painting First for the American Primitive

Tomorrow, between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., I will take another leap - in my deluded mind, at least - as a painter: I will work from a live model. There is an Upstate Artists Guild show, called, "Reflections," and in addition to two of my pieces (self-portraits), I will submit a piece that will include another UAG member.

Knowing my limited experience as a painter, I am a bit curious as to why she accepted. And I kind of asked her. Her reaction: it could be fun.

I have laid down a background for the painting; I have a concept; I have some props and costume ideas; I have a model who has a little bit of faith in me and in the idea that it might be fun.

I also have some Spanish wine.

Perhaps she is right: perhaps it will be fun.

Productive

Sometimes, having limited or no access to the internet while at home has its benefits. For the past two weeks, in addition to the obligatory and often painful job hunting, I have been painting. After a stretch of minimal to no painting, I have done a number of pieces, which I have yet to download and share. The titles are as follows. Photos to come, maybe tomorrow.

* The Prisoner, inspired by a lovely young lady visiting from Belo Horizontal, Brazil;

* Study of a Muse, which is a test run for a later painting;

* In the Field, which focuses on the field hat that I have that some question ("what's with the hat")...it keeps the sun out of my eyes and gives a little shade.

* Return to the Blue Movie Motel, all in blue of course, based on a piece just written.

Additionally, I am working on a Kubrick in Heaven piece...which involves a chess board, and I am working on my piece for the October UAG show, the theme of which is "Buried City."

Lastly, related to UAG, a final piece is for the "Reflections" show. In addition to the two self-portraits I will put in, I am working on the background for a piece tha will be featured in the back room and will include a portrait...or representation...of a fellow UAG member...and I have found my first live model...what a good sport she is!

Enough for now...off to Troy to spend time with a lovely friend...who not only keeps me mellow but is able to bring out the sweetness in me.