South Africa: Her Skirt

Her skirt was my final pleasure in this painting.  As I painted it, it felt like I was completing an important part of the story. Like the hat, I enjoyed the detail and the striking contrast it created next to her shawl and grass. Once I was satisfied I moved on to the final details of her hair, the grass and even added a bit more shimmer to the shawl. I decided that some of the edges on the canvas needed to be left undone and so they remain as they were from the beginning. Her surroundings  accentuate her striking countenance. I wonder if she realized how amazingly beautiful she looked that day.

Enchanted
 oil on canvas, 16x20"

South Africa: Golden Grass

I've enjoyed every step of this painting and once I get to this point it seems extra special because I am seeing my vision become a reality. There will be a lot of last minute adjustments toward the end - but it is still exciting because the colors are in place and the mood has been set. It was early fall when I was there in March and so the tall, golden grasses  provided a perfect background that added texture and contrast  to her dramatic  costume. This grass, like everything else in the painting, has been more challenging than I thought it would be and I still feel like there's more to do. Yet, I am ready to move on to the final blank section of the canvas, her skirt.(Wait until you see it. It really completes her outfit.) I've been painting late into the night (sometimes I wish I didn't have to sleep) and enjoying every minute of it. This painting is so much fun! 

South Africa: Candy Apple Red

I realize that I was attracted to painting this woman for many reasons - one of them being, she was wearing red. And not just any red - but bright, shimmering, candy apple red! In addition to her red shawl, she was wearing this wonderful bracelet that added just a touch of color and detail to her wrist while casting a shadow on her arm. Everything she was wearing seems so right to me. If I could have had a say in how she dressed that day, I would not have changed a thing. The excitement is mounting for me as I progress with this painting. Once I get this far into it I begin to have trouble sleeping because all I really want to do is paint or think about painting. I cannot get her out of my mind. There is also a deadline coming up: the Fireside Gallery intake and installation for the South Africa exhibit is this Thursday. I love and hate deadlines but they keep me on task. I can't wait to paint tomorrow!

 

South Africa: Fresh Eyes

I stayed up painting until 11:30 last night. Her arm, like everything else, took twice as long as I had imagined and I still wasn't happy with it. So, the one good thing about staying up late to paint is that I can get up early in the morning to continue painting and it feels like I only took a short break. My paint still feels fresh on the canvas, nothing has gotten sticky or dried out and I can continue where I left off - painting wet into wet. The one advantage to this break is that I had fresh eyes; I could see things this morning that I could not see last night. And now I am moving on to her red shawl. I can hardly wait!

Inspired by South Africa

I was told, more than once, that I would come back from my trip to S. Africa inspired with new ideas, new motivations to create, and that it would be life changing. Turns out, everyone that told me this was right. But what I did not anticipate was the unexpected beauty in the most unpredictable places. The contrast was incredible! Since I cannot ignore what has happened to the inside of me it is going to have to come out in several different ways and the first will be this painting. I am certain that it will be the first in a series from my trip and I am excited to share it with you - in stages.

As we neared the end of our stay, we were privileged to be invited to a private birthday party. The guests of honor, twins, were treated with the fanfare of an American wedding reception. The white tent, white covered chairs, the music, the dinner, the large pink and white birthday cakes - one for each, all made quite an impression. I was not expecting this.

After we enjoyed the honor of having dinner in the tent, guests waited for the arrival of the birthday girls. It was so hot and I began to feel physically drained. So, instead of standing, I decided to retreat to our van with a few others in our group. The van door was open and as we visited, a car pulled up and I immediately thought of a line from the movie Tombstone, when a beautiful woman stepped down from her stagecoach and  Doc Holiday (played by Val Kilmer) notices her beauty and says, "Well, an enchanted moment". Only in this case, it was several beautiful women. I immediately took advantage of the camera I held in my hands and started photographing this enchanted moment. Most of the time they had their backs to me as they prepared themselves to make an entrance at the party. But in this moment I captured the reference photo for this.

As the painting progresses I will update you.