Yellow Wallpaper

"Yellow Wallpaper," Acrylic on Board, 40x40"

I'm much happier with how the skin tones turned out on this one, especially in the face.  When I was a teenager, I was fascinated by the short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper."  This painting is an homage and ties in nicely with the whole theme of women being confined.

Locked

"Locked," Acrylic on Board, 40x30"

A little on the nose as re: the lock, but I love the texture of the metal grill and the contrast of the bright red hair with the more subdued background.  I also love how the face turned out, though  bit hard to see in this small version.  I wonder how Meghan will like herself as a redhead? :)

Riverside Daub

"Riverside Daub," Acrylic on Board, 16x20"

Here's a quick palate-cleansing landscape before I start my next figure painting.  I used a lot of what I think of as my 'smear' technique in this one.  I cut up small pieces of mat board and use them to apply the paint (instead of a brush).  It creates a swathe of very thin paint with thicker lines at the edges.  Once a layer has dried, I apply additional layers, which results in interesting textures and subtle color variations.  I did use a little brush to fill in some of the small areas (since it's hard to be precise with a piece of board).  I also used a limited (for me) palette which adds to the overall harmony of the piece.

Scarlet

"Scarlet," Acrylic on Board, 40x30"

I struggled with this one.  I love the model & the composition, but doing dark skin tones is a whole new challenge.  The parts that work, I love, but the parts that don't...  I may end up going back to refine it or maybe it's better to just take what I learned to the next painting?

BTW - I've had several people ask me what inspired this series.  It was the result of reading two books in close proximity.  Book one, The Night Circus, has a wonderful description of a woman contortionist squeezing herself into a glass box.  Book two, The Feminine Mystique, talks about the roles and positions that women are forced to fill in our culture.  Ergo, the series. :)

Feral

"Feral" Acrylic on Board, 40x30"

I'm happy with this latest painting in my 'Boxed' series.  I've tried a few new things with the background and done the figure in simple, high-contrast shapes.  I love her expression.  She's either going to cry or bite someone.