Monday, January 26, 2009

Gracy (in progress)

Gracy (in progress)
16 x 20
oil on canvas

I really thought I could finish this one by the end of the weekend but, alas, I am stuck.  I was going for a very simple composition with a background that just makes her face pop off the canvas.  I wanted most of the color to come from her face and hair.  I also wanted the background to have a lot of depth, but not distract from her face.  I thought I could achieve this by layering colors and mixing some different whites, but Mike (my husband) and I both agree it's not working.  So I stared at it tonight while we ate leftover pizza contemplating different background colors.  Grey/blue? A luminous yellow/orange?  Mike suggested maybe changing the color of the blanket. I am stumped.  I guess I'll have to stare at it a little longer and get some input from others.  I would appreciate any comments or suggestions!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't know if it's too late to post on this painting but i actually really enjoyed the subtlety of the whites against her face and the ornate little pink patterns. It really made her face stand out to me but let me know if you change the color up because i'd love to see it in another color too but i think i'm a sucker for white backgrounds that make a face pop out more.

Leia Brown said...

Thanks for your input Annie... I still haven't decided what to do with the background. I was definitely going for the face popping effect, but I wasn't sure if it was too blah. I like that you prefer it the way it is... that would mean less work for me! I will let you know if I change it.