An Idle mind

This winter has been weird--almost no winter at all, hence fewer opportunities to paint it. In a "dead period," I went back into my files and retrieved some tearsheets of fashion ads that I had saved. Now don't get the wrong idea. I use images of figures and faces in ads to work on painting figures and faces. Models in ads are posed and dressed (for the most part) so I can use them as models, instead of the real thing. If I can find some way to paint them to "comment," I do. Here are a couple of them:


Lady in Red
oil on canvas 9X12
This allowed me to work on gesture and facial expression. The "meaning" I intended is resting in my subconscious somewhere. I love the colors and I made her complexion very pale for contrast.

Model Levitating
oil on canvas 16X20
I was fascinated by the impact of this image. It was spread across two pages I imagine to shock the viewer. The shiny leather outfit was challenging to work with as was the unusual pose. I simplified it a bit, but I added the shadow underneath to make it seem as if she was floating in air. Perhaps Freud could explain it.

But in a sane moment I did come across this which caught my eye:

Looking Up Preble Street
oil on canvas 16X20
This is right down the street from where I live in the Willard Square area. I liked the houses "stacked" one after the other. Also, I tried to capture the low winter light and I am always attracted to bare trees in winter.