"lakhota proud"

back in early october i posted a nearly-done photo of this painting. i decided at the time that i didn't like it and put it on the shelf. the other day i came across it and decided that i did, after all, like it. so i added some stuff and lifted some stuff, reinforced some stuff, and lightened some stuff..........and came out with this. the lesson here is not to throw anything out until it has aged a bit and one can look at it with "fresh" eyes. the change in one's opinion can be surprising. of course, sometimes one's initial opinion holds up....then , i suppose, it does become one for the bin.

a brief word on the shapes along both upper sides of the painting may be due.  i looked up a variety of pictographs from digs and finds in north america. i drew the shapes that i liked and those that had a known meaning on small pieces of foam core. i then followed those lines drawing with a thick bead of that craft glue "tacky glue" in the brown bottle that i am sure most have seen in craft and hobby stores. this dried leaving a slightly resilient raised line. since it was water soluble i sprayed it with fixative to seal both the glue line and the foam core. to make a mark i simply painted thickish watercolor paint onto the design and pressed it onto the watercolor paper. i spritzed each of them with small droplets of water to varying degrees to loosed them up and teased a few drips down the page for both looseness and interest. this is what i got. i can't take credit for this.....dale kendrick showed me this technique many, many moons ago during one of his workshops.....a great artist and wonderful instructor. may he rest in peace.

"lakhota proud" (13"X16")

"table for one....non-smoking, please" (9"X18")

i had painted this little girl before in the same pose but with a totally botched background and a composition i didn't like. so, i had another go at it. i think this came out better, pretty much in every dimension. i didn't take any process photos during this endeavor, however.....sorry.

i hope you enjoy looking as much as i enjoyed painting.

"table for one....non-smoking, please"

"the colonel has a lovely daughter": finale

i think that the last brush stroke has been applied to this painting. as one nears the end it is always an interesting time in a painting's life. when i get to the point where i am making small enough changes that they absolutely no difference in the quality of the painting or just ill-advised, detrimental additions, i quit. i think i am at that place with this. i am happy with the likenesses, composition, and skin tones. the colonel came off more sun drenched and older (vermilion, raw sienna, and cerulean blue) and charlotte younger, more "peaches and cream" complexion (scarlet lake, brilliant orange, and cerulean blue). there is one thing i'm not too happy with and that's the intersection of charlotte's shirt strap with the exact right lower corner. i think a little crop will take care of that. i apologize for the fuzzy photo.......should have used a tripod as the light was waning. here is the finished masterpiece:

"the colonel has a lovely daughter" (11"X17")