How it turned out

This painting, Runway 4, is basically finished. (Oh, no. I just noticed the horse's ears are backward.)

Yesterday I started Runway 5. No horse this time. But there is a tank. Like Runway 1, 2, 3 and 4, it's six feet by four feet, acrylic on canvas.

By the way I entered this world 74 years ago today. Cooked up a batch of jambalya yesterday so we can celebrate Cajun style.

Man, I love jambalya. And key lime pie. That's for desert.

Horse Head Revisited

The other day I was talking about toning down the horse. My internet pal F.X., also a painter, suggested glazing with the background color.

I did that, throwing in a little raw umber and dark violet for good measure, thinned it down and brushed it on. If you look at my previous post you'll see the difference.

Horse of a Different Color

Now that her head's on straight, I've given her a face. Behind her is a horse of a different color.

I wanted the horse to take on a mythic look. (See the June 18 post to compare.) This is getting close to being finished.

P.S. The dress was designed by Gareth Pugh, a brilliant young Brit.

Heads Up

Here's the painting I'm working on now - Runway #4. I've been having a terrible time with her head.

It was cocked to the left and had been bothering me for a couple days. The tilt was too much. She looked unnatural. So I painting her head at a lesser angle.

I put the eyes in for the third time, gouging them into the thickening paint. She still looked strange. So I painted a new head. And then another one. Then I modified the tilt on that one.

Now I think the tilt's okay so I'll start grappling with the eyes and nose again. I don't have to worry about her mouth because it's covered by the high turtle neck.

The horse has gone through several incarnations too, including a flaming mane and tail. Looked weird so I covered the whole horse in a coat of bluish black.

That makes him look like one of those plywood silhouettes you can buy at farm stands. That's not what I'm after. Back to work.

High flying fashion

This is the 3rd of my Runway paintings, the one I showed you June 2 as a work in progress.

It is 72" x 48" and is acrylic on canvas. The outfits the models are wearing are based on designs by Hermes.

They appear to have been inspired by Amelia Earhart, who will make an appearance in the series of paintings.

Studio models

I'm working on this painting, the third in my Runway series, in my studio. It - the studio - is about as fouled up as Francis Bacon's. 

Unfortunately, that's the only thing we have in common. 

I took the models from a collection by Hermes which must have been inspired by Amelia Earhart, a record setting woman pilot who disappeared in the Pacific on an attempted flight around the world. 

Fiery breath

Third Thursday drew crowds as it started its new season last evening. Here Maria Bermudez breaths fire.

Problem tenants

We're being overrun by paintings. Fifteen are stacked up against this wall in our house.

Some are ones I was considering for two shows in March. Six others were just returned by the mental health agency where they had been hanging for four or five years.

My theory is they were driving people nuts.

I know they're doing that to Babbie, my wife.

"Paint small," is her mantra.