This is a self portrait I just finished for a show entitled "What's New" at the Peninsula Museum of Art in Burlingame, California. I typically portray my subjects from the shoulders up, and wanted to try another style. I had been looking at many different artists to get inspiration. I decided to use inspiration from books I had been reading. The portrait is called "Sophie" and is my interpretation of a
character in the Patrick O'Brian books about Jack Aubrey and Stephen
Maturin. It is Sophie waiting for Jack to come home.
My first step was to lay down a light wash.
I really liked the initial wash, and wish I could have put down the darkest values at this point. The hair and the face have a nice quality.
I wanted to get the feeling of the breeze coming through the window, and get a hint of my hand showing through.
This is pretty close to the finished product. I always take work in progress photos. It really helps to show my the mistakes, where I should have left an area alone, or increased a value. This piece is for sale in my studio. What do you use for inspiration? I would like to hear your comments.
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