Thursday, October 8, 2009

A Really Big Challenge


Artists have a way of never being quite satisfied with the status quo. We are always pushing ourselves to try new techniques, new products, new subjects, and, in this case, a new challenge to paint a self-portrait larger than life. It's our latest Southern Colours exercise.

Most of the Southern Colours artists have enthusiastically embraced this idea – some more enthusiastically than others, I must admit. Several have never before painted a self portrait, or any portrait for that matter. It's a learning experience extraordinaire.

Here you see me standing beside my 3 foot by 4 foot canvas that I now have to fill with an image of myself. Try this some time if you really want a daunting in-depth self examination.

The first thing I've learned is that I am older than I envision myself. There is no denying it when one has to put those brush strokes on the canvas. Where did all those wrinkles come from? Where did my tiny waist go? Surely I do not really look like this when, in my mind, I am in my mid-thirties. After bemoaning this fact for several weeks and listening to my fellow artists voice the same doubts, I have divorced myself from the image I am painting. Above all, this stranger must be portrayed honestly. Suddenly, the task is a whole lot easier.

My big canvas sits waiting in my studio while I am hard at work on a smaller prototype. There's no way I am going to dive into a painting this big without assuring myself ahead of time that my concept will work. I will make my mistakes on an 18 X 24 inch piece of pastel paper. Stay tuned and wish me luck!