Maggie Siner Day 3

We have models now - two of them and Maggie has arranged them with great emphasis on the dark winding up through the picture plane.  Once again we start with our gray grounded canvas and then, in an abstract way, define the line of the dark through the canvas.  Really more like identifying the dark as it travels around the painting's plain.

Then wipe it off until nothing but a pale reference shows and start painting.  Once again we were to start mixing the color of the correct value and placing a mark on the canvas.  This should be done all over the painting - not just filling in one spot but a mark.

I think I forgot to mention in my last post that when trying to identify the color of an object or area one should look at something else.  I can't remember the logic in this other than it had something to do with the peripheral vision and seeing the true color as it relates to the colors around it rather than just the local color.

So below is my painting of the model - Ms. Siner's comments were:

Her face looked like it had been run over by a car but that could be corrected with a couple of strokes.
(I am not a people painter and the strokes she is referring to would be her strokes, not mine)

She loved the way the darks ran up through the painting on from the bottom and up along the scarf and she loved the focal point of the scarf and it's draping.

It is interesting and challenging for me to paint a model.  I would love to try it some more in the future.

The next and last exercise we did was to look at a portion of a still life and paint all the warm areas with a turped down orange and all the cool areas with a turped down blue.  This was very challenging, largely because most of us chose sections of the still life arrangements that were just too large. I don't really have a photo of this because I just tossed it when I left but In know that everyone found this difficult and not a lot of fun.  Plus it was late in the day and we were tired .  

This was followed by a talk on colors and the relationship between colors.  How when you put a color next to another color it will effect the first color.  (the cool/warm factor)  

All in all, the workshop was great - I might even take another from her - I would certainly consider trying to go to Provence to paint with her - speaking of which I know there are two more slots open.  Moi, you say - unfortunately/fortunately all my efforts will be directed toward my daughters wedding. Maybe next year.