Tuesday, October 8, 2013

"Plaza Sunning"

8 x 8"
oil on panel
sold


I've talked about this before - how many artists will be very happy with a finished painting and the same reaction isn't felt by the audience.  It happens to me frequently.  

Such was the case with a recent painting I did of this woman.  On my first attempt, I played around with a thick, red ground and proceeded to pull off the lighter areas with thinner and darken where needed, with a touch of tinting.  And I liked it a lot.


(first stab)


But it seemed no one else did.   

So I've been staring at it all day and wondering what to do with it other than fling it across the yard.  And at a rather late hour in the afternoon, I started adding color and the more I did, the more I loved it.  That doesn't insure a shared opinion by others, but I'm happy.

A woman taking advantage of a sunny lunch hour in the plaza in front of the John Hancock Building in Chicago.





7 comments:

martinealison said...

Bonjour chère amie,

Je suis heureuse que vous nous montriez comment un jour on peut ressentir les choses et le lendemain autrement pour un même sujet...

J'avoue que lorsque j'admire les deux peintures, je m'interroge... alors qu'il n'y aurait pas lieu de le faire si auparavant je n'avais pas lu vos mots.
Les deux sont réussies. Le premier peint avec votre ressenti initial et le second différent, influencé par le regard inapprouvé des gens, mais aussi parce que ce jour-là vos émotions étaient également autres.

Deux peintures qui me plaisent beaucoup. Il est évident que la lumière est merveilleuse dans la reprise et l'apparence des nuances rouges lui apporte une belle puissance.

Gros bisous

Amanda Bilson said...

I liked your first attempt but I LOVE this latest version. Adding the colour has enhanced it beautifully.

Unknown said...

Hi Karin!
I love your technique and I always enjoy looking at your paintings, the colors you use are so incredibly beautiful! Maybe its just this particular subject...that is if your asking the question "why people do not have the same reaction as you thought they would?" Kim

santastu said...

Me to, I like it,
the second attempted is much better,
I also like that little movement of the hair.

Christine said...

I like that she is looking off stage and I adore the blue flips and shirt!

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing your process! This is very cool.

Unknown said...

Maybe the reaction would have been different had you worked in limited colors more in the past, because the red version is very dynamic, but different than your usual work. I do like the red version. The second result is more pleasing to the eye. Some people don't like a lot of red it seems.