Another project update

Working on the face now.
...Caravaggio really knew what he was doing. Me - not so much I'm afraid. I thought the face would be the worst thing to do and it IS difficult but the instruments and the music book will be the real challenge I think. Especially the violin, with it's hopeless perspective.

Progress

This is how the lute player looks today, although very yellow because once again I didn't use the flash when I took the photo (I tried using flash and the colours looked authentic but too much light reflected in the varnish...), but I tried adjusting the colours in photoshop and it's the best I could do.

A little experiment

Since Easter is coming up and I don't have any lectures for two weeks, I have more time to spend on painting and art in general. A few days ago suddenly remembered how two different teachers at the two art schools I went to both reminded me of the education value of copying the old masters (or a painting I specifically liked) - Not for display but for the challenge of it and for practicing basic technique. At the time I was given this advice I was hesitant and more enthusiastic about finding my own style and doing my own work. I don't know why I suddenly came to think of it now - possibly because of the recent lectures on Italian renaissance art that really remind me why I love art history so much - but I decided that since I have the time for such a project now, I will take the opportunity to complete the experiment.


I've chosen Caravaggio's Lute player, which seemed suitable because a) I LOVE Caravaggio, and b) It's not a religious motive that I'd feel uncomfortable "tampering" with. This is what it looks like after today:



(I took the photo with the flash off so the colours look a little strange, even after Photoshopping.) Since I paint with acrylics and not oil, although with a few paint mediums added, I can't make it look like an oil painting - It looks more like a coloured pencil drawing at this stage. We'll see how it turns out - I will of course keep you posted about the progress.

Now for the boring info - another facebook album. I hadn't planned on creating a new one but I clicked a little too fast in the iPhoto export tool and it created a new album without my knowing it. Here's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=381914&id=838195173&l=41f3eb5f68

I'm going to add a few new paintings to the web site later and also update the links page which has been stating "coming soon" since forever. Procrastinating seems to be my real talent..

My (new) life as an art history student

It just occurred to me that life as an art HISTORY student is very different from life as an ART student. It involves, of course, a little less freedom, but that's not all negative.. I think the main difference is the reading that's involved.

True, I used to read a lot in between painting the past few years, but this time it's less fiction and I have to make sense of everything I read even when it's in another language and written 60 years ago. The fun part is that I got so many books I had to move them into another bookcase (although "another" may not be the correct word seeing as I didn't have a bookcase in the first place, just a cupboard where I stacked them on top of each other).



So this is what it looks like now - already the lower shelf looks like it could break any minute.

Speaking of books, I suppose I didn't make it easier for myself by choosing literature as a second subject - I now have to read at least one book each week (in addition to numerous chapters of art history) plus a number of short texts and poems. I don't find it difficult to complete the books as such, but when I have to analyze and talk about what I've read in detail it's not always that easy.

That said, it's only been a few weeks so hopefully it will get better soon.

I also updated the web site today - just a side note; the painting I added a week or so ago may be replaced with a better photo documentation later. I noticed that with my cheap camera, documentation works best when I take the photos outside in daylight and it's been snowing lately so that makes it more difficult.