This figure is a quick study I made a few years back from a dance poster -- and I bring it out from time to time when I need a forceful reminder to "GET IT DONE!!!" Well, I did it. I finished the year-long on-line art course about which I've had such mixed feelings. More about that next time, but for now....let's do a wrap with the final Artists-of-the-Week.
First, as the rain pours down here in Vancouver, I'll do a quick check out the window for bowler-hatted gentlemen holding umbrellas, drifting down from the sky. No sign of 'em. But you've guessed I'm summoning the spirit of Magritte. For my lesson, I preferred his blue skies, usually with puffy clouds and occasionally with a prominent eyeball. I put them all together for a weird riff called "Head in Hands" --
Everyone knows Dali, right? Sagging watches. Weird artifacts strewn about desert landscapes. Butterflies doubling as sails on a 7-masted schooner. Yes, that Dali. But he also did some rather lovely women's faces, as in his mysterious "Adolescence". The painting itself was once the subject of an art heist from a Dutch museum -- finally recovered after seven years' absence. Here's my take on this, my favourite among all the Dalis I've seen:
After these surrealistic offerings, the course moved next into the era of so-called Contemporary Realism. I wasn't keen on Roberta Coni whose females often wrap their heads in turbans -- and despite the protective covering, find themselves smeared with paint from the artist's hand. My rendition:
Then we hit familiar territory again with Chuck Close, who I've known for decades for his wonderful pencil and charcoal portraits -- often reaching awesome proportions, say 15 x 20 FEET. Lately, his giant works in colour have combined Klimt-type shapes with mosaic-type layouts. Check this link and wait for about the fourth head to appear and you'll see what I mean.
With a self-serving strategy, I opted for small rather than large -- about 4" x 6", done in coloured pencil. Copying an earlier class exercise, I did a close-up of Van Gogh's eye in one of his self-portraits. Here's my version called, "Chuck and Vincent See Eye-to-Eye."
Up next were two contemporary artists I'd never heard of but whose work I found interesting. Michael Carson often places his figures and portraits on a plain flat background, sometimes using a particular rich rusty red colour. I used these two aspects for a painted version of an unrelated photograph I happened across on-line. Using my favoured el-cheapo support, I painted on a piece of cardboard to produce "Corrugated Carson."
Casey Baugh does gorgeous charcoal portraits -- sometimes smeared or speckled, sometimes on the large size -- maybe 5' across. My spin-off from another on-line vintage photo was not very satisfactory but...hey, I was wanting this course to end!!
-- and it did for me, finally, with artist Tony Scherman -- another whose style involves blurring and smearing. I hadn't much interest in emulating this so opted for a simple pastel-like treatment.
And now: A new year is waiting in the wings, and what that will mean for my art goals will become clear before very long.
Right now, things aren't quite "terminado" with my household and studio reorganization , but I'm getting it done!
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