Languor (closeup)

[Kimberly Dow]

I've seen the entire piece also - SO beautiful! Linda, as my kids say: "You ROCK!"

[Patricia Joyce]

Where can we view the whole painting??

[Linda Brandon]

Originally Posted by Patricia Joyce

Where can we view the whole painting??

Mike McCarty borrowed it for research purposes. Just kidding. This is not a nude, by the way; she's wearing a big piano shawl that's been showing up in a lot of my recent paintings.

I've been studying art anatomy as much as possible for the past year or so and I'm trying very hard to achieve believable flesh. Tony Ryder says somewhere in his book to think of life "bulging" within the skin, life trying to escape from the confines of a very thin wrapping. This imagery has helped me immensely in thinking about how to paint flesh.

I'm currently redesigning my website to include a spot to put all these paintings.

I've sent this image around to artists such as Kim, who are experimenting with ABS. I found out that these big, heavy panels with sharp edges can have a guillotine effect when they fall on top of you when you have them hoisted up high, so beware.

You are all so kind to say these things about this painting, and you've made me very happy today. Thank you.

[Terri Ficenec]

Linda, this is really beautiful! Love how you reflected the warmth of the flesh. I agree with all the others, would love to see the whole composition!

[Linda Brandon]

Michele, this wasn't a commission. I am shameless about asking people to pose for me, paid or unpaid. (By the way, I've found that many people will let you take photos and paint figure work if you promise not to show, or to change, the face.)

Leslie, I'm always tinkering with the colors on my palette. Here's what I used:
Flake White (Michael Ozog paint, which I think is no longer made)
Yellow Ochre
Naples Yellow Deep (Old Holland)
Transparent Red Earth (Gamblin)
Irgazine Ruby (Michael Ozog paint; this is a permanent subsitute for Alizarin)
Cerulean Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Permanent Sap Green
Raw Umber
Portland Gray (Gamblin)
Ivory Black (very sparingly used, and not in flesh tones at all)

I'm about to do an outdoor painting of this model and I'll use my outdoor palette, which will probably include Indian Yellow and Dioxazine Purple.

Beth, I can't do a figure photo shoot in those small rooms because I get too much photo distortion unless I am really far away from the model. [Sharon, if you're reading this, I always read your posts about distortion in the figure very carefully.] I hung linen sheets around the living room for the background of this painting.

Kim, this is 1/16" ABS contact-cemented to 1/4" Masonite (a two person job, by the way). I cut the 1/16" myself with an Exacto knife from a big roll that I have. I still like ABS but I have to say that my new favorite surfaces are the New Traditions linen panels. In my case, the ground of a painting has an enormous impact on the finished piece; it affects how I handle paint, how far I can get on a finish, etc. . I'm painting a portrait from life right now on a linen so grainy that it looks like another artist painted it.