Sunday, November 4, 2012

Girl in Window

hello all!
This is the first full color oil painting I completed this past summer using the old master techniques. It is a copy of a Rembrandt called "Girl in the Window." I was drawn to this painting because of the way the girl softly emerges from the blackness behind here. I also love the contrast of the loose, almost abstract background and the gentle clarity of the girl face. There is also something doleful yet sweet in the girl's expression that feels natural and familiar to me. I painted this while taking an amazing class on Classical Oil Painting at the Kline Academy in Los Angeles.

Girl in Window, Copy of a Rembrandt oil painting by Nicole Piar

Girl in Window rub-out Copy of a Rembrandt by Nicole Piar

This is the rub-out I did with Raw umber and a rag to lay the foundation for the painting. I love Old Hollands raw umber because of its warm golden hue. Some raw umbers are very dense and cool. This one has a beautiful luminescence. The rub-out is a great way to study the tones and shapes and create a visual map.

Here is a sneak peak at the painting I am working on now. It is a copy of JW Waterhouse's "Nymph." It is in the Grisaille phase. I have painted it entirely in Raw Umber and White. I have already started laying in the color. I have also taken many photos of my process on this one which I will post with the completed painting. I loved the complexity of being inside the forest but it is proving very time-consuming to paint! Patience and slowness. It makes me feel like I am painting in another time. It is the complete antithesis to the fast-paced world of surface design and illustration that I work in normally.

Copy of a J.W. Waterhouse oil painting by Nicole Piar

Now my question is: what will the merging of these newly-honed oil painting skills and my personal whimsical style create? We will see. :)

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