Flying By The Seat of My Portrait Pants via Palette Knife

Excited to get into the studio this morning working on a new palette knife portrait of a lovely young lady called Kim who has inspired me.

This one is from Friday, a three-hour life sitting of the lovely Lynette. I sure had fun. I worked 'inside out', a technique I first saw Morgan Weistling do, and then subsequently Jeremy Lipking. To truly work this way you don't do any preparatory drawing at all. Just start on a part of the face or body, say an eye, and get it correct before moving on to the thing next to it.

It is different from the way I usually work 'outside in', where you block in the whole head generally and then get more specific with the the features and likeness. I have been working this way for a long time taught me by my mentor Mr. Everett Raymond Kinstler. It would certainly remain my method of choice for a portrait commission where I am not seeking a 'flying by the seat of my pants' art experience.

www.morganweistling.com
www.everettraymondkinstler.com
www.lipking.com

Both ways are good however and it's fun to shake it up a bit. I find my palette knife technique is really suited to working inside out but I still need a quick block-in drawing to make me feel like I know the rough placement of things on the canvas even though I don't feel the need to 'fill in' the block-in. If things change as I work inside out, that's fine and half the fun.

Lynette
By Johanna Spinks
Oil on linen via palette knife.
www.johannaspinks.com

Portrait Location- Wall Street Journal

Location, location, location?

Two portraits I did a very long time ago are included in an article today in The Wall Street Journal about a fabulous Malibu home, designed and conceived by two very clever people I know rather well.

So many congrats to Carolyn and Kevin Cozen. I watched this home being built from the ground up over a few years by these two talents. It is a true work of art and I am honored to have two paintings of their daughters hanging in it. That they didn't put them in a yard sale.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-tour-of-a-malibu-home-that-mixes-old-and-new-1437660962

Designer Cozens' showpiece home: Photo Wall Street Journal

View from the other side of designer Cozens' home: Photo Wall Street Journal 

Official Bishop Portrait Gets Unveiled Today

Charleston unveiling this morning... my official portrait of the Bishop of The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina The Rt. Rev. Charles vonRosenberg, pictured below, with myself and his lovely artist wife Annie.

What a wonderful honor to paint this great man in a large painting that took me quite a while to paint. I feel so blessed to be a portrait artist doing what I love and meeting such great people who inspire me and so many others. 

The Rt. Rev. Charles vonRosenberg

Flying in for the unveiling with Bishop Charles vonRosenberg and his wife Annie

J.W.Waterhouse Sketchbooks

"The Victoria and Albert Tearoom"
24x18" via palette knife
By Johanna Spinks
For purchase
here

The block-in painted from life with that knife

Slowing working through

The background begins

Visiting the sketchbooks of J.W.Waterhouse within the vaults of The Victoria and Albert Museum. Wow!

I have long enjoyed a good scone, thick clotted cream and a nice cuppa especially in lovely British tearooms. I found myself once again in the tearoom of The Victoria and Albert Museum with its' beautiful Pre-Raphaelite windows that leave you breathless with wonder and so enjoying the moment.

I was also lucky enough to visit four of J.W. Waterhouse sketchbooks in this Musuem's collection which was a remarkable experience. Yes, I actually got to leaf through them with my bare hands. What an incredible artist J.W. Waterhouse was. I don't think anyone has yet come close to what he did with his brush and imagination.

So, all of this came together in my painting inspired by the tearoom and those sketchbooks. It was started from life painting the lovely model Amina in my teaching class and taken further during the days that followed. The windows are downplayed which I apologize for but sometimes you have to edit.

I hope you like.

The Long And Winding Palette Knife Road

My journey with the palette knife continues, some days good, some days not...but I know I am pushing myself which I suppose is the point.

At this point I know what I can do with a brush.

The long and winding palette knife road? Leads you to your path? We'll see.

This is my quickie demo (90 minutes) from my life painting teaching class yesterday of the lovely artist/muse Mather Louth, painted on day two of a migraine. The model and pose gorgeous but a lot to take on in just 90 minutes.

http://www.matherlouth.com

I went for a color harmony of red and green trying to get as much color into Mather's skin as I could while still greying it down, working with that knife much like icing a cake. Fast.

I hope I am making some progress. What do you think?

Today I start another one, with a little more finish of a wonderful lady that I am excited about.

"Mather Louth"
Palette Knife Life Sketch
10x12"
Oil on linen board
Johanna Spinks

My weekly studio class is always great fun. Great models and great poses.
Wednesdays 10 to 2pm
Join us?

Painting Through Rose Colored Glasses?

Painting rose villas, rose terra-cotta turrets and rose wine thru rose-colored glasses. A perfect weekend with my paints and pals I'll cherish. 

All Things Rose...Portugal.

The Palette Knife Portrait Continues

Fresh back into the studio from my trip abroad I am anxious to get going again with my palette knife portrait work preparing for a show.  They won't all make it. You have to paint a lot of portraits from life to get a few good ones it seems to me. The palette knife is more hit and miss than painting with the regular brush.

This one of Julie is the first one painted from life on my return thinking somewhat of the beautiful J.W. Waterhouse paintings and sketchbooks I was lucky enough to see in the U.K. I tried to keep some areas to almost the bare canvas while working up  other areas much thicker.

Today I start a portrait of a vineyard owner with that palette knife. Come back to see the work in progress?

"Julie"
12 x 9"
Oil on linen panel via palette knife
Johanna Spinks

Painting The Brocante

Painting the french Brocante flea market in Cannes red, white and blue. Happy July Fourth Weekend everyone.

Painting The Brocante, Cannes