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.

Caryatid

"Caryatid," Acrylic on Panel, 30x40"

Here's the latest in my Boxed series.  I'm not sure this is as successful as the previous two, but I like the more limited palette.   Also, there's a nice sense of light in areas.  My goal is to do two paintings of each of the women who model for me.  I want to represent a variety of ethnicities, ages and body types.

Verge

"Verge," Acrylic of Board, 46x36"

I'm much happier with this second painting.  I love this pose - so evocative.

Graffiti Box

"Graffiti Box," Acrylic on Board, 40x30"

Here's the first entry in my new series.   I'm still refining by thinking, but here are the elements that are likely to end up in my eventual artist statement:

• women contained/constrained (by gender, by role, by environment, by culture...)
• the picture plane as a box (constraint) instead of a window

The model for this was the talented Jen Brown, who is a contortionist as well as an excellent figure model.

Flat

"Flat," Acrylic on Panel, 12x9"

I've been using myself as a guinea pig to practice skin tones in preparation for my new figurative series.  I think the face turned out pretty well on this one, though the neck got a bit muddy.  I titled it "Flat" because it looks like a mug shot.  Also, it's a good reflection of the way I feel right now, due to a cold.

I did two photo shoots this week to collect reference for my new series.  I got some great stuff & can't wait to start painting.  Expect to see the fledging paintings starting next week.

Memories of Dancing

"Memories of Dancing," Acrylic on Board, 24x36"

I had a great weekend in NYC visiting my sister and could hardly wait to get back to the studio.  This painting encompasses several of the things that I saw and found inspiring on my trip.