Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The New Work, "Flower by the Lake"



Oil on Masonite board, 24"x 12".

My initial plan was to place her in the midst of a forest, surrounded by cheerful, spring flowers, but the signs of spring were yet to be seen here in Northern Nevada. I quickly changed my plan and decided to place her by the beautiful Lake Tahoe shore. The location doesn't really exist. The background scenery was loosely based on a typical Lake Tahoe scene and the sketches I made a couple of years ago.

The new model Flora (an alias used at the request of the model) was pleasant to work with. Although I only had the opportunity to work a total of 9 sessions (4 hours per session) with her, I was able to finish the drawing and the under-painting of the whole figure completely from life. After the 9 sessions, I worked from the reference photos of her in order to finish the painting. The total number of hours spent for the piece: 99 hours.

If you are interested in seeing the process shots, please go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/43078252@N04/sets/72157626528373362/