I am very happy to finally have my new ETSY shop Curious Portraits up and running. It has taken a lot of work but I think I finally have all the little details ironed out! I've already made a few sales and have been featured on 4 different treasuries (2 of which I've posted below) so I am very encouraged. I hope you will take a look and let me know what you think.
Finally I was able to finish the latest is my portraits of childhood toys. These are 2 Steiff bunnies I picked up in an antique store in Lambertville, NJ a month or so ago. I only intended to purchase one but in the end I couldn't leave the other one and I am so glad I went back and got him! They make such a haunting pair. I just loved their tender expressions.
This weekend I was determined to finish this series of Barbie portraits. The more I paint her the more I see differences in her expression and mood. I think for the next set I will work larger and on canvas. (These and the Bubble Head Barbie series are painted on 6" x 6" wood panels). I am toying with the idea of background or even clothes. The fashion possibilities are endless, so many favorite outfits I remember from my childhood. ..
Slowly but surely Daisy's portraits are progressing even though I never seem to find enough time to work on my own stuff. I am still excited about these portrait;. Daisy's expressions and personality are so apparent in all the photos I have of her and it is a challenge to capture them. Let's face it, most squirrels look alike. I have 5 of them now that I feed (all descendants of Daisy no doubt) and I must confess that I cannot tell them apart. Maybe squirrel features develop over time, after all Daisy was at least 4 years old and the present squirrels are 1 year at the most. It will be interesting to watch them grow and see if my theory holds water.
I managed to put some time into the portraits of Daisy this week and here are the preparatory drawings on the boards. Hopefully I can begin painting this weekend!
Since Barbie and I both turned 50 this year I thought it would be appropriate to finally do the portraits of her I’ve been imagining for so long. The first portrait was of a 1960 Pony Tail Barbie done as a birthday gift for my friend Christopher who is an avid collector. I liked it so much that when he gave me a beautiful 1963 Bubble Head for my birthday last month I decided to do a series. It was so much fun setting her up in different lighting and photographing her. I approached it in a semi classical way as I do most of my paintings beginning with a neutral ground color then an under-painting in burnt sienna acrylic and finally building the rest up in layers of oil color. It was so interesting painting the same object 3 times; they all look alike yet each one seems to have such a different personality. It was especially fascinating painting an inanimate, plastic face as opposed to an actual human face. I just love how the mood changes depending on the angle and light source. I’ve since borrowed a few Pony Tail Barbies to photograph for a new series. I can hardly wait to get them started.
