I personally may use a completely different painting process from one piece to the next, and people have no idea unless I actually show the work in progress.  So, even though no artist is crazy about showing their work in it's "ugly", often completely misleading stages, I think it's fun to show some while they occur.  It can look "off" for months, then pull together in just the last few days.  Others could never pull together the way I imagined, and simply make a nice TV tray or really fancy doormat?  However, the "stubborn" part of my nature will probably never let that happen - even if it "kills" me - and it just may some day?  I guess then, my patrons would be ecstatic since most believe everything is worth more once you visit that fluffy painting studio in the sky.  That just motivates me to teach them a lesson, eat my vegetables, and live for about 150 years!  Then they will be dead before me!! :-)

"In From the Cold"

To the left, you see a very smooth painting.  Since the painting would require many hours to complete, using a live model the entire time would be ideal, but impossible.  I often don't start painting until midnight, ending in the morning.  So, it required a variety of reference material including still photos (seen above), video, live props set near my painting area, and most important - the imagination - relying on the "rules" of realism.  Photos are about the most inaccurate reference choice.  So with this piece, it was easy to setup stillifes with the proper perspective and lighting for nearly every background prop.  As for the model, she is simply a girl I met who always wanted to be a model (so here she is!).

It had been decided during the composition stage that the painting would depict a woman who lives far from civilization in the late 19th century. Her strength will be tested daily.  She chose this existence for herself preferring to live "in tune" with nature with all the beauty and personal freedom that can only be found in such a place.  Unfortunately, this environment also possesses some very unforgiving, often life threatening, physical elements.  How she copes with these challenges placed upon her is still to be determined since the story ideas will certainly be changing as the painting "speaks" to me before, during, and after the painting process.  Ill write music and a story to accompany the painting as I do with select paintings.

Painting Process

I use different techniques with each painting.  Sometimes I just start painting away on a blank canvas and worry about details later. However, the techniques used for this piece are intended for publication (prints) later on.  It is best to decide if a painting is to be reproduced before you even decide on the painting’s support (what you physically paint on).  This is a special panel that is about as smooth as paper initially, and I strive to keep it close to that after the painting is finished. This requires many thin layers of paint.  It also gives the person photographing the art a break since you don’t have the glare from lights during the photo session that you get when photographing a "textured" painting, with thicker paint.  Any glare would also show in the final reproduction (since they are simply "photos" of paintings) unless digital retouching is done later.  Here I want people to concentrate on the image itself, not the physical qualities of the painting.  When digital retouching is done, you actually have artwork that has areas that are not even the original paint, but simply computerized colors filled in by the computer technician – and not even the actual artist!!  So, I try to avoid this when possible.

Since these are serious concerns when making reproductions, I cannot play around and change or move elements in the composition without paint buildup.  So, this type of painting must be very carefully and well thought-out compositionally beforehand, with sketches or maybe a small painting "study".  This time I drew the outlines of the basic elements on larger paper - the same size as the final painting.  Here I can make all the changes I want on this paper.  When satisfied, I attach the paper to the prepared panel and transferred the composition outlines to the actual support.  I then have outlines of the most important object contours.  But most of the painting is simply painted free-hand since subject detail lines would be covered up on the 1st coat anyway, there no point to it.  Even though most of the background objects were added later, this can be a very "calculated" procedure.  Of course the artist should utilize the time during the sketches or studies to be spontaneous.  But, with this technique, once decisions are made, its best to commit to them - so don't rush it.  Unfortunately for some artists, you cannot drink beer and watch TV while doing this type of work! :-)

Since the artist cannot "blindly" copy photographs without improving the errors in photos, I would have to critique the painting from time to time adjusting flaws in value contrast or color temperature, etc.  As you can see here, dark values end up completely black in many photos, while light areas can be completely white - leaving us no "information" on what we are looking at.  This can be seen from the skin highlights on the original photo.  I also had to use myself, or any other "victim" as a model for close-ups of hands, hair, and any props used in the piece.  

I also added elements that come from imagination as well (such as water drops on a wood cabin floor).  So, one must paint in a manor that these things make sense!  For example, I also imagined moonlight shining through a window out of our view. Therefore, the colors and values of the floor and other objects must look as though this moonlight really shines upon them.  Now, after deciding this, when you paint any new objects in the scene, you must ask how the imaginary moonlight would effect the light on these objects - including previous objects.  Also, one newly added object can reflect light on to another previously painted object. 

Another example is when I add water drops on the floor.  The floor now acts as a reflective surface (like a mirror) showing the reflections of other objects on it.  But, only the objects at the proper angle and value will be seen, however!  Like only the highlights of the towel, and those highlights positioned at the correct angle will reflect on to wet areas of the floor.  So, many dark shadow areas of the towel will not be reflected on the floor!

I now must also make the bather look like she’s actually wet, as I did with the floor and the tub, etc.  I will study how this would look by simply setting up similar lighting and pouring water on skin and observing.  I took photos of many different poses with the original model, and eventually chose a pose I did not plan to use.  Therefore, I did not have the many close-ups and details to rely on.  Besides, you really need to check how things look in real life, compared to the photos or video, when possible anyway.

At the stage "almost done", I need to continue highlights in the hair that would reflect the light of a fire (again from imagination), study and paint water drips from the wash rag, water drips on the subject's body, and also add steam to the water itself.  We have to assume the subject heated the water in the kettle with the fire, then poured it into the large tub before bathing.  Hot water creates steam and will be illuminated by first the window moonlight, and then also by the firelight.

When painting, one must be very careful adding elements from the imagination without any reference to look at.  They will effect the scene in many ways, and things must make sense to be believable! Otherwise, the viewer need not be an expert to "feel" something is wrong with what they are looking at - they just know it.

When painting the steam, I really wanted to showcase this visual effect and ended up adding too much at first.  I felt it looked more like smoke illuminated by a fire and had to repaint the entire dried area behind the steam.  When I painted the steam over the actual bathing tub, I tried a different technique where it was not so opaque. So, I did the same thing around the pot the second time around.  I simply used less white in the paint, and applied less paint.

I am finally satisfied with the result.  This was a difficult painting to photograph since it's so dark and smooth with many layers of varnish (or medium used as varnish).  But, when done correctly, an acceptable image can acquired.  After something like this, I usually paint a couple impressionistic pieces where I can get "sloppy" and not have to worry about every stroke and color choice as you do with realism.