Please Forgive My Absence

So, it suddenly occurred to me this weekend that I unintentionally left things hanging her on the blog.  I got so busy with starting the new school year at Bethel University, that  it slipped my mind that this blog needed some closure.  Well, the show as installed in September, and I just took the work down yesterday.  It looked great in the Playhouse gallery, and I was very pleased with the setup.  All of the verbal feedback I got from people who saw the show was positive.  However, I never read anything about it, so I imagine it didn't get a write up in any of the local papers.  Oh well!  Below are some shots of the installation:

Thank you, again, to everyone who helped out with the project.  I couldn't be more pleased with the results.

Sixth (and Final) Portrait Sitting: Jennifer

Jennifer came to my studio to sit today, August 26. I appreciate her making the drive up from Memphis. Jennifer and I are former co-workers. For a while, she was even my direct supervisor. About a year ago, she transfered to another job at another location within the company, so we don't see much of each other anymore. Especially since I've moved to Jackson. As she sat in front of the camera, Jennifer and I reminisced about past experiences, talked about her new home and semi-new car, and got caught up on the goings-on of each other's lives. She was quite expressive while talking, leading to some nice images in with some great gestures. These are the photos that I particularly like:

Working On Christy

I thought I'd let you in a little on the process. Here are a few images, taken in sequence at increments as I've been working on the portrait of Christy. I am very nearly finished with it. In fact, the actual painting is further along than the final photo in this series, but I want to wait until it's actually complete before posting any more images of it.

Finally, A REAL Update!

Ok, so it's about time I actually put a real update on this blog. Forgive me. I've just been so busy with so many other things, that keeping the blog updated has slipped big-time. Well, since the last time I actually posted something here, I have finished the portrait of Rebecca, made some sketches of Christy and Nikkila, and have a good start on the portrait of Christy. I WILL post an image of it when I finish it.

Below, I have an image of the finished painting of Rebecca and images of the sketches made of Christy and Nikkila.

5th Portrait Sitting: Jessica

On Wednesday, July 6, Jessica came by the studio. She was the fifth portrait sitting (and first in Jackson) for the series. I got to know Jessica through my wife, Megan, who is friends with Jessica's fiancee, Kris, who also works for the same company where Megan and I work. The four of us began hanging out a couple of years ago or so, and both of them have great personalities that I am drawn to.

While Jessica sat in front of the camera, the two of us talked about her job. I actually didn't know until that day that she is a videographer! She's done a lot of advertising work for local companies around Memphis for commercials airing on cable. It was very cool learning that Jessica is an artists herself!

Jessica was definitely expressive, with her hands, face, and posture, which made for some WONDERFUL images. Below are my four favorites from the session:

First Finished Painting

I HAVE FINISHED THE FIRST PAINTING OF THE SERIES! This is the portrait of Megan. I'm still trying to get things right on the portrait of Rebecca. I am VERY happy with the way this painting turned out! This is the kind of aesthetic I'm going for in all of the portraits. It feels SO good to see progress like this. So, now I think I'll get started on the portrait of Christy while I continue to work on Rebecca's. This way, I can keep the work staggered and make the best of my time.

Here's the finished painting:

Feedback is welcome.

This Morning's Work

I made some good progress this morning on the portrait of Rebecca. Below is a snapshot of the painting as it looks now. Below that is a quick time-lapse video of some of the work I accomplished this morning.

Finally Getting Down To The Real Nitty Gritty!

Today I began work on the first full-scale painting for the series. Well...let me qualify that. I actually started on one last week on Thursday. However, I was using some really heavy body acrylic, which didn't respond well to the slick surface I'm using for these paintings. It looked HORRIBLE! I was too ashamed to show it here. So, I quickly realized that I fluid acrylic would be more appropriate, because it will slide around more on the surface and dry slower, allowing for drips, accidents, and texture within shapes as well as thinner, more active lines. So, what I actually did today was begin work on a SECOND version of the first full-scale painting for this series. I began with Rebecca. I want to be working on two images at a time throughout the series, so tomorrow I will also get a start on Megan. As you can see in the photos below, I plan to start each painting off by blocking out the composition somewhat loosely with gold paint, over which I will layer a greyscale painting that will accented with patches of color in the final steps.

New Sketches

So, we have no made the move to Jackson, TN. This has allowed me a bit more time to get some work done on this project. Below I have sketches of Rebecca and Megan. I like these! In both I've gotten proportions and composition worked out and both are beginning to resemble what I want the finished paintings to look like. I think I'm ready to move on to the full-sized paintings of both of these.

4th Portrait Sitting: Nikkila

I had my fourth sitter (and last one in Memphis), Nikkila, to come by the studio yesterday, June 14. I know Nikkila from Memphis College of Art and as a fellow Horn Islander. At first, I will admit, I was a bit surprised when Nikkila said she wanted to help out with the series. Her shape isn't what immediately comes to mind when one hears the word "plus-sized". However, if being inclusive is what this series is all about, then it would be remiss of me to say no.

While chatting with Nikkila, I learned that the two of us are very close in age and that our art educational experiences where eerily similar as well. We are both a product of the 80s and 90s, and we both enrolled at Memphis College of Art in fall 2005 after a long hiatus from school. We've know each other for a few years now, but mostly as acquaintances. It was nice to have a moment to talk and get to know one another better.

Nikkila really didn't seem nervous in front of the camera at all, and is she ever expressive! This made for some very interesting images. However, in many of the images I took, her eyes are looking off to one side or the other, which just isn't what I want in this series. I want the model to see you just as much as you see her. So, this narrowed my pool down considerably. Below are the top 4. I'm not yet sure which one I will use for the painting.

EARLY Preliminary Sketches

I have here the first two preliminary sketches I've done for this series. I am not 100% happy with either of them, but that's what early sketches are for: working out the problems, loosening your hand, and planning compositions. Both of these have scale issues, and neither face is quite right just yet. Still, I promised to share my progress and so here they are:

Feedback is welcome.

3rd Portrait Sitting: Christy

Alright, now the ball is rolling again. So, today I had Christy sit in front of the camera. Christy and I attended middle and high school together and hung out in the same group. Unfortunately, I am horrible about keeping in touch with old high school friends, so we've not actually seen one another, face-to-face, since our 10-year class reunion in 2006. So, this sitting ended up really serving as a time to chat and catch up. Christy, Megan, and I sat for very nearly two hours in the living room talking about life, old times, and the real estate market before we ever even got started shooting. Once we went upstairs to the studio, I asked her about how, when, and where she met her husband and clicked away at the shutter as she spoke.

Christy seemed to be the least self-conscious in front of the camera of the models who have sat for me so far, though her arms and hands were less expressive than Rebecca's. Christy definitely has a no-nonsense attitude and is a strong, commanding presence. This REALLY comes through in the resulting photographs, I think. That's the kind of stuff I've hoped to get from this series!

It was great to catch up and I shall have to do my best to make sure another five years don't pass between now and the next time we speak.

Below are a few shots from the session that I particularly like:

Getting Moving Again

Please forgive my absence here. Shortly after finishing the portrait sitting with Rebecca, I had to start getting things together for the Horn Island Expedition (more on that in a moment). I had Christy scheduled to come by the studio on Monday, May 16, but she had an emergency that kept her away. I should have posted about all of this then, but I got very caught up in my preparations for Horn Island.

So, for those of you unfamiliar with the Horn Island Expedition, allow me to explain: Every year, just as the Memphis College Of Art school year comes to an end, a group of students, faculty, students, and alumni travel down to Horn Island, an uninhabited barrier island off the coast of Mississippi. We spend about 8 days essentially ruffing it on the island: camping in tents, bathing in the ocean, cooking over fires, etc. When we return, we have until August to put together a body of work based on our experiences there. In late August, the Horn Island Exhibition is put on display at Memphis College Of Art, showcasing all of the work done by the participants in the expedition.

Here is a video I put together to tell my Drawing 2 students about the trip:

I left for the expedition on Thursday, May 19 and didn't get back home until Saturday, May 29. During that time I had no cell-phone, computer, or Internet access--which was WONDERFUL, but meant that there was no way to update the blog, unfortunately.

Just for the fun of it, here is a video I put together of me trying to pitch my tent on the island:

Well, here are the updates:

1. Christy is now scheduled to come by the studio on Tuesday, June 7. I'll post here when I have the resulting images.

2. I have begun working on a sketchbook for this project. I will post images of what I'm doing in there soon.

3. Megan and I are in the process of packing up the house for the big move to Jackon, TN on June 16. So, between Horn Island work, the work for this series, my weekend job, and moving, I am pretty busy over the next few weeks.

So, until the next time I have info to share, this me signing off. Thank you again for following the series.

2nd Portrait Sitting: Rebecca

Rebecca, a good friend of my wife and someone whom I've gotten to know over the past couple of years, sat for me today, May 10.

It went well. Rebecca seemed a little nervous in front of the camera at first, but quickly relaxed as we talked together. We talked about how she and Megan met, what kind of work she does, and the flooding downtown. It was nice having an opportunity to get to know Rebecca a little better, even if it was only for a brief time. She was a very good sport given how cramped we were in my studio. Rebecca is very animated when she speaks, and I think the resulting images are interesting as a result.

I can understand the apprehension one might feel sitting in a small room with a bunch of bright lights aimed toward you while someone sticks a camera in your face. It may not be completely obvious from the images I've posted on the blog so far, but I am using a wide angle lens with a wide-open aperture, so the camera is quite close to the models as I work. I am glad that, so far, my first two sitters have been able to be at least somewhat at ease during the shoot and hope that this is a trend that continues throughout.

So, below are a few of the images from the shoot that I am particularly drawn to. Which one will provide the composition for the eventual painting I'm not yet sure.