These two are nearly done, so I'm on my way to having 13 of these little treats finished. I had originally decided that 15 would be a good number to aim for, so soon I'll have to go through the photo archives and pick out two more images.
Creme Brulee, © 2021, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
I'm going to have to go over the thin areas between the green rings on the plate again; trying to get the rings right is very difficult, and I'm having to take it very slowly. Still, some progress today.
There are so many small areas in this piece that need attention, and every time I sit down to work on it I'm reminded of how long it's going to take to finish it. Today I worked on the people sitting at the tables. I press on, though time's running short if I want to display this before Thanksgiving.
Sorry for the glare on the Christmas wreath at the top left; it's unavoidable.
Done! And I'm glad that after all these years I got a chance to use a little of the Renaissance Gold in a valid way.
Besides working on this one, I did some painting on a new oil-on-mylar. I'd like to have three of those done before I approach one of the galleries with them. But here's today's work, so far:
It's been a very productive day. This one is drying now; I'll do the fine tuning it needs next time and hopefully it'll be finished then. I smoothed out some rough strokes and added a little more atmosphere to the lights; also lightened (VERY subtly) some areas on the dress that are in closer proximity to the lights.
I'm going to leave the plate alone now and let it dry. It still needs two things before I get to the fun of painting the chocolate drips: a darker edge, and the twin green lines that ring the plate. But here is today's work:
Happy to report that this one is done!
Considering how much further to go on these.
Years ago I finished a painting named "Inside/Out;" it's one of my favorites and I don't want to ever sell it. But the face of the young woman in the far left corner took FOREVER to do. I finally got it right; it looks like her, it has exactly the expression I was hoping for, and I'm really happy with it. But like I said— forever.
Now I'm struggling with the problem of the similarly pretty face of the young lady striding across 42nd Street; I work on it, it looks good up close, then I step away and it's a disaster. It's a matter of a line here or there being off by just a millimeter or two; it messes up the likeness. But I'll keep plugging away at it.
Inside/Out, © 2011 (click on image for larger view)
There's a problem with the photos of the sky paintings; they look really awful under magnification, while in real life they're quite nice. I think this one is finished, but as always, will set it aside for a few days to see if it needs any fine tuning. I tried to balance the highlights with the deeper areas, and simplify some spots.
New Sky #6, © 2021, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
I spent all of last week in preparation for the show at the McLean Artfest. There were a million details to take care of, and I didn't get to everything.
Yesterday was the festival day, and it was quite an experience. There were a lot of people, and I got wonderful feedback on my work, but made few sales. So the sales part was a disappointment, but if I'd had ten bucks for every time I heard a compliment, I'd have made back my expenses and more.
So today it was back to the easel.
I did get back to the left side. This is going to be completed soon!
