PROGRESSSION FIVE

Progression Five: YET ANOTHER BREAKTHOUGH PAINTING

Now I have moved from Mexican Murals to Thomas Hart Benton in style. The brush strokes are bolder and there is still some blending. But I am beginning to See my self in the Blue Shirt series paintings. I love the hand treatment in this. Big bold swatches of color to show high lights.

You will notice also that I have changed my color scheme in this one. I am experimenting in cobalt blue and cobalt violet for shadows. I am still laying out the figure in burnt sienna and allowing hints of it to show through the over painting applications. I t appeals to my background as a watercolor painter to be what some would declare as sloppy. In fact the Spiritual Nature of my work shows through when I don�t try to control every aspect of my work. There are sometime things that just appear by not over working paint and brush.

You will notice to that there is less detail in this blue shirt painting done in June than in the painting I completed in May of the Red shirt painting. The effect is interesting in that most of the detail is in the face and hand. The face is at once soft but also rough. I really love the hand in this painting. And the face is starting to really look like me.

To hold to my impressionist leanings Nikki isn�t in as much detail but the stiff attitude is So him! He hates to be held and tells me that its because no cat with any dignity would ever allow it. What you cant see is that the hidden front foot is pressed against my chest and every muscle in his body is tense. He doesn�t mind sitting next to me as an equal he just hates being held.