Meryl Streep Portrait: Part IV

Panel Row 2, Column a

It is finally done, the third of six panels!  It took longer than I had hoped, but I’m pleased with it. There are four small areas that bother me a little. However, I’m willing to bet these are just another case of the artist knows something the viewer doesn’t. I must move on because I have but three weeks to finish three more panels. If there is time to adjust when all is done. I will do so. Otherwise, “If it were done, when 'tis done, then 'twer well it were done quickly.”

“Lead on, Macbeth,” says the alter ego.

Meryl Streep Portrait: Part III

Panel 1b is completed and here I compare the small computer generated manqué to the two painted (30" x 30") square panels.*

computer manqué

I wasn’t interested in matching the color in the painting to those I made in the small-computerized version. Instead, the colors are much more intense. And, in some cases the hue isn’t the same. At the same time all the areas of color do have to match exactly from one panel to the next, so perfect draftsmanship is a must. If there were errors in drawing, the edges of the panels would not match, and much worse, Meryl would not look like Meryl.

the 2 (30" x 30") painted panels

I am pleased with the boldness/power of these two panels. There is only one small area that could use some tweaking in the left panel, and that is the three brown lines to the right of center. They appear to be divorced from the surrounding paint. If I have time when all six panels are finished I’ll go back and play with that passage a bit. However, the deadline looms but one month away, and this little thing is probably one of those that only the artist knows about. There won’t be any viewer saying – “Darn, look at those three ugly brown lines in Meryl Streep’s hair!”

I’ve started panel 2a, and hope to finish it this week. We shall see as we have guests coming this weekend, which means I must be done by Friday.

My alter ego says, “good luck with that one, John! You’d better not do anything but paint!”


Note

* manqué - here I am referring to the “inferior” computer generated image I made to use as a guide in making the painting. It is of necessity inferior to the final painted version as it is so small compared to the 5 x 7 & 1/2 foot painting, and the color is flat and vastly inferior to the painterly quality of the fished artwork.

Atlantic Ocean Sky at Sunset

August 23, 2014

In south Florida and in Mexico I’ve seen amazing cloud formations over the water at any time of the day or night or year, but never before over the ocean in Delaware. Now, I'm not saying such formations don't happen in Delaware, just that I've never seen one, and I long ago concluded that they must be extremely rare. So, I was amazed when visiting Cape Henlopen with friends one evening this past August.

I had only my old iPhone 4S, and forgot to set it on high definition when I was shooting. Still these sky photos are amazing!

Meryl Streep: Row 1, Column A

Finally, the first of six panels is done, all but the final fixes, and I will wait until I have more panels finished to do the final corrections. This panel is the upper left hand corner of the five-by-seven-and- one-half foot portrait, and is 30 inches square  The painting's color is more intense than the color in the computer version (2" by 2") that I made over a month ago. However, I like the more intense painted version best because the sections of paint contrast, that is retreat and come forward better than in the small computer version.

I took this photo of the panel in the studio with my iPhone, and much of the painterly quality is missing. For the good photographs of the image, I will carry the panel outdoors, and shoot in full midday sunlight with my Sony 10 megapixel camera in order to capture the color at its best. I know the thickness of the paint will show up better if I shoot that way as well.

I had hoped to have the panel done way back in mid August, but volunteer work, doctor’s appointments and other personal issues interfered. Now that the first panel is finished, I hope I will be able to pick up the pace with little or no future encumbrance.