Order in the court!

 

 

  

Actually, there's been a fair bit of disorder and upheaval as I've approached the end of the "Jury is Out" project.  If you've been following this (breathlessly?), you'll know that I've aimed to emulate the different styles of certain artists I admire, with a view to – seeing where it takes my own style.

 

I was about to close the series when I decided to try once more to elude my natural tendency toward outlining and filling with brilliant colours. (*Loved* those colouring books as a child!)  My inspiration was a recent library book on Harvey Dinnerstein, one of those still-going-strong artists of the mid-late 20^th and early 21^st century.  I'd first met him in art magazines in the 1980s – when he was in his 60s – and I loved his themes, his figures, his New York sensibilities.

 

You can get a quick scroll through his work here.  And if you really adore him, as I do, you can watch this 3-minute video in which, in his 90s, he reflects on some of his work.

 

So, how to begin?  I spent two weeks trying small studies from past sketches.

 

At last I settled on a solo female I'd seen on a bus and rolled up my sleeves to place her at the centre of the canvas.

 

Working very carefully, layer by layer, I reached this point – where I'd become obsessed with putting Paula Rego's easel in the background.

 

Paula Rego's easel!!  What was I thinking?

 

What's more, despite the challenge of trying to position that darned easel, I'd become bored with the whole thing.  What to do?  Paint out the background?  Paint over the whole thing?  I chose Option 2, and in the process I decided to work on a smaller format and aim to copy part of a Dinnerstein painting.

 

This opened book shows his 1971 painting of his wife and daughter "Lois and Rachel" – with close-up of Lois' face on the right.  (He has lovingly painted his wife and family for decades.  Lois, an art historian, is still going strong, too).

 

I chose to copy the close-up on a small canvas about the size of the book page.

 

It should have been easy but placing the hair falling over those lovely cheekbones…was NOT.

 

In fact, I went back and forth many times….cheekbones wider…cheeks narrower; reverse; repeat.  And there was something impossible about the skin tones.

 

By this time, I'd decided the joke really was on me – although I hadn't consciously outlined, the whole of the face, hair, background is structured on implied line  – which is briefly explained and illustrated here.

 

Here's the final version:  "The Jury is Out (Lois) – after Dinnerstein."  

Consider this:  The artist's natural tendencies are in evidence.  Innocent or guilty?

 

Next?