I've been trying to work on painting figures but find it difficult
to work things out without models—like impossible. I've been going
to life drawing classes for two-hour stretches—not enough time to paint.
I'm approaching models who feel comfortable being photographed as
reference but need to have a sense of knowing what I'm after style-wise
and also how to protect them before committing to hiring them.
My goal was to work on temperature and thought it a brilliant idea to learn
from a master—use a pose done by a contemporary realist painter,
Jacob Collins, as a roadmap for cool and warm tones. I didn't try to copy
him verbatim, didn't use his colors or temperature, didn't attempt to emulate
his realism but I did use his pose. He's very much alive and his painting is very
contemporary so I'm hoping I'm not violating any copyright laws.
Here is the link to Jacob Collins masterful painting, Carolina:
http://www.jacobcollinspaintings.com/carolina.html
Having temperature be foremost in my mind as I paint rather than achieving
any kind of faithfulness or likeness has really opened up the way I think about
painting. It feels like a good shift.
