Time for an update on my studio work, isn't it? A while back, I wrote about a painting in progress. One of my models also makes her own line of clothes. This new painting is about her creative process of turning random bits of cloth into a wearable work of art.
Initially, I was looking at one of my favorite artists, Jerome Witkin, for inspiration on how to put this painting together. Witkin is a fabulous story-teller and you really can't go wrong in borrowing ideas from a master like him. So I started working on ideas for the composition. For a painting of this type, my routine is to do a lot of drawings, cut them apart, recombine them in different ways, take things out, and add things in, until something starts to happen. This one had maybe 15 different drawings, and parts of drawings, taped together to create one image. Then I put tracing paper over it, traced the lines to create a smooth version, and then filled in more details. Here's what it looked like:
The light is coming from the left side and shining on the dress. The young lady's face is in shadow - this painting is not about her as a person, but about the idea of the hard work of creating something, so her particular identity is not important. The workbench is now an appropriate height and the ironing board is now in the foreground, providing a bit of a visual block between the viewer and the dress. Then I worked it up into a color study on gessoed paper:
This version made me realize that the composition needs even more work. It still has a bit of a jammed-in feeling. So I extended the painting to the left and down (I taped another piece of gessoed paper on the bottom). This had the effect of pushing the viewer back a bit and giving the seamstress a little more breathing room. I can also use the window and light/shadow to define her work area and frame the composition. I've also increased the light/dark differences so make it have a bit more of a dramatic presence. This would make more sense if I had a photo of the current version, but I don't right now, so use your imagination!
But there's still a lot to be done. I need to decide what's going to be on the wall. I have a few ideas, none of which have really grabbed me as the "right" one. There are some things I need to do around the window. The fabric on the workbench isn't right yet.
But it's getting there. Meanwhile, I have a 48"x48" canvas stretched and primed and ready to go. I'm looking forward to getting to work on it!
Initially, I was looking at one of my favorite artists, Jerome Witkin, for inspiration on how to put this painting together. Witkin is a fabulous story-teller and you really can't go wrong in borrowing ideas from a master like him. So I started working on ideas for the composition. For a painting of this type, my routine is to do a lot of drawings, cut them apart, recombine them in different ways, take things out, and add things in, until something starts to happen. This one had maybe 15 different drawings, and parts of drawings, taped together to create one image. Then I put tracing paper over it, traced the lines to create a smooth version, and then filled in more details. Here's what it looked like:
The next step is to do a color study. I transferred the drawing to a 20"x16" panel and painted it in oil. Here's the first stage, a warm grisaille; I later went over it with brighter colors:
As soon as it was done, I realized that this particular composition wasn't going to work. It looked too jammed-in, the light was coming from the wrong direction, the workbench wasn't the right height, the ironing board in the background was too confusing, and the stuff in the foreground was just clutter. Further, it was too literal - there was nothing to suggest the larger theme of creativity. I had to come up with something different.
Although Witkin is one of my favorite artists of all time, I have a hard time using him as an inspiration. Witkin's works are beautiful little stage settings. "Stage" is the applicable word as most of his works are constructions within the very small area of his canvas, just like stage settings are constructions within a very small area in an auditorium. I have a hard time with that idea, for some reason, and my efforts to create a stage setting looked like a high school effort, when what I'm shooting for is something more natural.
So I shifted the source of my inspiration from Witkin to Vermeer. Vermeer's works are probably much closer to my nature. They're quiet (Witkin's most decidedly are not), carefully constructed, narrative, and take place in a natural interior setting. They also have a strong metaphorical character, as well, which is often only apparent after considerable study. So after another session with the drawing paper, scissors, and tape, here's the compositional study that I came up with:
The light is coming from the left side and shining on the dress. The young lady's face is in shadow - this painting is not about her as a person, but about the idea of the hard work of creating something, so her particular identity is not important. The workbench is now an appropriate height and the ironing board is now in the foreground, providing a bit of a visual block between the viewer and the dress. Then I worked it up into a color study on gessoed paper:
This version made me realize that the composition needs even more work. It still has a bit of a jammed-in feeling. So I extended the painting to the left and down (I taped another piece of gessoed paper on the bottom). This had the effect of pushing the viewer back a bit and giving the seamstress a little more breathing room. I can also use the window and light/shadow to define her work area and frame the composition. I've also increased the light/dark differences so make it have a bit more of a dramatic presence. This would make more sense if I had a photo of the current version, but I don't right now, so use your imagination!
But there's still a lot to be done. I need to decide what's going to be on the wall. I have a few ideas, none of which have really grabbed me as the "right" one. There are some things I need to do around the window. The fabric on the workbench isn't right yet.
But it's getting there. Meanwhile, I have a 48"x48" canvas stretched and primed and ready to go. I'm looking forward to getting to work on it!
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