Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Finished! (Again...)

"Mrs. Geraldine Lawson"

24"x30" Oil on stretched canvas

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Color Stage 9!

Details, details, details....

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Color Stage 8

I've been refining details. This has been the most difficult part for me. Lots of guesswork!

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Color Stage 7

Scumbled a flesh color over entire face, arms, and hand. These "back and forth" steps of highlights, shadows and overall foundations are essential in building form and luminosity. Also, scumbled highlights onto shirt. And I glazed shadows onto bottom left corner of theater curtain. Next step will be to re-establish shadows and highlights.

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Color Stage 6

Put "apple" back into cheeks, chin, nose, and ears. Glazed blue onto shirt, and yellow over entire seating area.

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Color Stage 5

I've "scumbled" lighter opaque colors this evening. This is the opposite of glazing where you apply transparent dark colors. Scumbling builds "form." The obvious change on this layer is the scumbled light on her face. But I've also scumbled light on the columns on the sides and on the highlights of her shirt.

I've also glazed some a very dark crimson/scarlet mixture onto the curtains. In my opinion, they're looking a lot better than what they did, and I'm not sure if I'll do a lot more to them, other than glazing a dark color into some of the shadows and highlights on the folds.

And I've repainted the chairs and hepefully, receded them into the distance a bit. Details, and more, more details...but I love it!

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Color Stage 4

I've re-established shadows on this stage. It is a very necessary step. If I don't do it, I'll easily lose my place as I continue to build "light" upon the subject. Next step will be to bring "light" into the painting using Naples Yellow.

Also, on a side note, if you notice, I've glazed "blue" color onto her neck. A truly classical painting will have blue on the neck, red on the face and yellow on the forehead. I don't know why this makes it look nice but it works!

My wife wanted me to mow grass this evening, but I had too much fun painting this!

I glazed flesh color over skin. Although I lose definition, I gain luminosity. My next step will be to glaze "cool" shadows onto face and re-establish dimensionality. I defined the blue shirt with shadows and highlights, and put some shadows into folds of stage curtain. And I defined shadows in side columns and brought more details into seats.

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Color Stage 2

I've "put the apple" into her face on this stage. The idea is to put splotches of red into areas where cartilage and blood vessels are closest to the surface of the skin. It looks strange in this early stage, but it seems to work as future thin opaque layers of flesh color will almost completely cover the bright red. If you want to see an example of this, look at the veins in your wrist...What color are they? They aren't red, but you can still see color there can you not? That's the effect I'm going for by doing this.

I've also glazed a bright scarlet red into the theatre curtain and it is literally sparkling! I'm very pleased with it. Also, I've glazed Raw Sienna on the columns on side and turquoise blue onto shirt. On the next stage I hope to concentrate on her face and cover it with an opaque flesh color.

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Color Stage 1

I read somewhere that every "classic" painting has four essential colors: red, yellow, blue, and black. I think I've got them all covered in this one. There is still much work to do on this painting, but the overall look and feel of it is coming together. In subsequent layers I hope to bring more more detail and luminosity into the face. This will be accomplished by multiples layers of paint, alternating between light and dark, warm and cool values and colors.

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Grisaille Stage 3

I have refined details to the point on this stage that I'm ready begin to add color when it's dry. I think she looks happy!

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Grisaille Stage 2

Finally, I have a greyscale version covering the entire canvas. On the next stage I'll refine details and then I'll add color....one stage at a time.

I spent 3 1/2 hours on this stage and still did not complete the "grisaille." I did however accomplish what I thought was the most difficult/detailed sections. On the next stage I hope to completely cover the umber stage with the grisaille, aka, greyscale painting and bring more detail into the face.

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Umber Stage 3

On this third stage, I've continued to establish shadows. These were subtle changes but an essential step. The next stage will be the grisaille (pro-nounced "gri-sigh."

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Umber Stage 2

I've continued to establish shadows. This painting is so big, I'm going to need to go to a third stage on the umber layer.

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Umber Stage 1

I'm used this stuff called T.R.P.S. (a turpentine substitute) to thin the paint but I won't use it again. It cuts too much! You can see where it thinned all the way through the imprimatura and reveals the white canvas beneath. Fixing an oil painting is generally easy to do because it can be covered with another layer. Yet, it's somewhat aggravating. Overall, I'm pleased with the progress. I think it looks like a stage in the background.

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Imprimatura Stage

This painting is going to be huge! It's 24"x30". I've successfully transferred the drawing (you can barely see it, but it's there...) onto the canvas and laid down a very thin coat of oil. This will need to dry for several days before I begin the umber stage, where I will concentrate primarily on shadows.

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Drawing Stage

This new portrait will be of the late Mrs. Geraldine Lawson. The size will be 24"x30". Although my "drawing," may look strange, it will be a very helpful map to let me know where to put paint on the canvas in the very early stages. I have not even stretched the canvas for this painting, so I have much yet to do. If it turns out good, it may have a opportunity to hang in the Geraldine Lawson Performing Arts Center, home of Attic Productions; a theater group in Fincastle, Virginia.