Ambling around half-familiar territory

 

 

 

Being four days late with the previous post meant a loss of four days' production time for my current Il Giardino encounter. I've barely begun working on it but meanwhile, to make my month-end goal, I hauled out two unsatisfactory 2020 portraits and tried some quick makeovers.  (Think of this as taking a Spring Break Spa Day).

 

I can splash colour around with the best of them…

 

…but I still have so much to learn about using colour in portraits to stretch beyond the typical flat Colouring Book Syndrome that I'm prone to.

 

Here's the first version of one of the 2020 portraits:

 

I tried to pay more attention to the artists' basics that I haven't yet mastered:-- noting the light source, placing rosy highlights where bone or cartilage is close beneath the surface of the skin, and finding the right dull green shade that's visible even in living flesh if the lighting is just right.  Here's the recent re-do (at least the neck is less giraffe-like):

 

When I did the 2020 portrait, I wasn't at all happy with it – and started a second version from scratch:

 

My verdict at that time:  Like the first female, this one was not bad enough to paint over right away, but not good enough to keep on the top of the heap.  And there I found it again, ready for a facelift at the Spa -- with the results shown here:

 

All right, this was somewhat interesting to do.  But "The Law of Diminishing Returns" came to mind as I decided that fresh starts would be more valuable than makeovers. 

 

Just coincidentally, as I poked around in ThriftBooks looking for something else, I happened to see this intriguing book by a contemporary UK artist I didn't know.

 

 I took a quick look at Hashim Akib's website and immediately returned to ThriftBooks to "Place my order."  (Click on the link and then either wait for his portrait paintings to scroll along or use the arrows in the upper right corner).

 

Hash, you are one of my new heroes!!

 

I don't see myself becoming this spontaneous or splashily confident, but oh……won't it be fun to explore this new territory?!   I'd better head to the garden for now, but I'll be back.

 

 

 

La Primavera at Il Giardino

 

 

 

We're right in the midst of Spring Break here, a good time to linger in Il Giardino Italiano.   This time, we've walked to the Lower Fountain, taking a different path than along Opera Walk.

 

With spring in the air and this view of the garden, my thoughts turned to "La Primavera" – one of Botticelli's great paintings. 

 

I rather literally thought that "primavera" meant "first green" (wishful thinking) – but the "-vera" part simply means "spring," and "prima," recognizably, means "first" or "early." 

 

I've mentioned my fascination with the Faces in the Crowd of many major paintings, the intriguing "supporting characters" to the main figure.  This time, I was taken with the young female on the left of the threesome who represent The Three Graces.

 

 

Hmmm.  Do you see any correspondence to The Lower Fountain?

 

Of course, I had to put these two faces together --- even if it took me hours upon hours to get the features on those tilted heads more or less correctly placed.

 

Here's an early layout in paint:

 

 Again, I spent HOURS trying to get to this stage of the sculpted female head.

 

And then, didn't the young runner – training for the Vancouver Marathon? – need a little more oomph to her outfit than the brick-red sports bra?  Yes! For her running tights, I borrowed some flowers from – well, who better than "Flora", the fully dressed figure towards the right?

 

 And here's the final:  "Spring Break at Il Giardino" (copyright 2022).

 

 A final thought on primavera  – early spring -- from American poet Robert Frost, who has always been a favourite of mine for his perfect poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay."

 

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

 

I'm working on it -- !!

 

Long-time readers of this blog will know that I aim for two posts a month, one in the middle, one at the end.  This time, I'm just not ready with the mid-month edition. 

 

I could blame it on the Ides of March – or on spending too much time looking out my back window at the sometimes very interesting building maintenance that goes on across the laneway.  But actually, I took a big bite and I'm still chewing on it…

 

Please check back on the weekend.  In the interim, don't forget to enjoy St. Patrick's Day.   Click here to see Judy Garland leading the St. Patrick's Day Parade and singing, "It's a great day for the Irish!"