Saturday, July 16, 2011

Close up of the Lake view

At Lake Muskoka
Acrylic on canvas
36 x 48 inches
Barbara Muir  2011

For the past few weeks I've been working on
a portrait of a friend's husband.  My routine
with a commission is pretty straight forward.
The sitter comes to my house in whatever clothes they
will be painted in,  we have cookies (by
request), and a drink -- coffee, tea, or a
soft drink, sit in the kitchen, talk about everything.
Then we go into the studio where the sitter poses while I paint
for 10 - 12 minutes.  The timer goes off, and we
head back to the kitchen.  I time the sitting, but
not the breaks, because I learn so much in the
breaks.  And of course while we're talking,
I am studying the sitter, noticing how the nose
looks, his eyes, and what happens when he smiles.
When it seems right we go back and the sitter poses for
another 10 - 12 minutes and so on.

This subject is a sweetheart of a man, well
loved by his wife, and incredibly co-operative
about posing for me.  We are almost finished the
painting process.  But for today I'll show you a
close up of his face.

Have a working-away-happily day.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

this looks very natural Barbara. I like the warm skin tones, so painterly. I'm also interested in your process, how you schedule the painting sessions of 10-12 minutes. I'm impressed by how much you get done in these short sessions.

cohen labelle said...

Barbara this is a beautiful portrait - I'm struck immediatel by the warmth and sensitivity you've conveyed - also of the kindness in your sitter's demeanor - beautifully painted!
love, Marcia

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Sally,

Thanks so much. In a two hour sitting the 10 minutes add up, and it means I get to go away and come back, just what we were always told to do. And in 8 or 10 sittings you get a lot of information.

Plus the more important thing is to have fun and enjoy the process.

I did.

Thanks again. Love your work.

XO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Marcia,

Thanks very much. The sitter is a complete sweetie pie. It would be hard not to show that.

Love Barbara

Portrait Artist

My photo
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I paint and draw on commission and for shows. To commission a portrait, or purchase one of my paintings please contact me at: barbara.muir@sympatico.ca
A major highlight in my career? Drawing Oprah Winfrey live via Skype for her show "Where in the Skype are you? Galleries: Studio Vogue Gallery, Toronto, Canada. The Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, New York City. Gallery at the Porch Door, Kingston, Canada. Your positive comments on this blog mean the world to me. I'd love to hear from you!