Friday 7 September 2012

Morning Repose

Oil on Board, 14 x 22 inches

A handbrake turn from landscapes for me......I haven't done any life-drawing since night school in the early '80s, so I really enjoyed painting from the model for a change. 

Human flesh colour is a joy to depict in paint; there are so many subtle tones and colours, shifting from warm to cool and back again.  I particularly like the colour shift on the curves of the model's buttocks, from the sunlit warm ochrey pink, to cool green, to a warm, reflected orangey tint in the shadows.  This defines the curves that we know are there, and is again an exercise in painting what we see, and not what we know.  The colours and tones are all there - we, as artists, just have to observe and translate what we truly see onto a flat, two-dimensional surface to give the illusion of three dimensions.

12 comments:

  1. Fabulous painting, love the composition, and the lead in creases....you like bottoms too!

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  2. Peter so expertly done. the creases in the bedlinen and ladies top are so true could almost feel the silkiness. I too joined a life class at one point and enjoyed it. As you say you can learn so much about tone in the skin and foreshortening in a pose.Well done. Ve

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    1. Thank you Ve. Yes indeed, the foreshortening of limbs can be very tricky, making the figure look odd if you;re not very careful with your drawing.

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  3. Hi Peter,
    Excellent painting. Wonderful textures and tones. Looks so real it could be a photograph. The only criticism I would hazard to make would be with the title. Perhaps "Crack of Dawn" would be more apt...?

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    1. Thank you anonymous! Her name isn't Dawn though.....

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  4. Wow...!!
    This ones is different.
    Of course I like this one very much and is nice to see variation in your subject matter.
    More please!!!
    Regards
    Trevor

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    1. Thanks Trevor, more coming very soon.....I'm really enjoying the change from trees and water! The scenery's just as good!

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  5. Amazing pastel work on display here, Peter, clearly proving how well you manage this difficult medium.
    Regards
    Terry

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    1. Thanks very much Terry, but it's actually an Oil! But I shall be doing some Pastels shortly....

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    2. Peter, I'm so embarrassed! :(
      I'd been looking through your pastel work on your site while studying a book on pastels propped up on my desk - I must have become fixated with the medium!

      My apologies,

      Terry

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    3. That's alright Terry - they do look similar anyway the way I paint! Look out for ACTUAL Pastels coming! All the best, Peter

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