Buddha in Us

Continue trying wax medium using self-portrait. This is a larger picture at 30x30. Buddhism's searching Buddha in ourselves is quite an attractive idea relative to asking the divinity for salvation.

Photos Turn Art - Anching's Work

These are work by Anching Lin (or Anking Lim) using a software on the photographs he took in Taiwan. I am just amazed how well these photographs turn into pretty convincing pencil sketches. Do click on each picture to enjoy the convincing pencil strokes and marks.

Red Door - Another self-portraist

I bought the wax painting medium. I am using self portrait trying to learn how to use the new medium. I paint in the garage. This is my painting corner.

Another version of Self Portrait

Just want to be more painterly. When I paint on paper, it seems to free me from tightness. It is all psychological. When I am not as serious, I am freer.

Improved?

Did not like what I did. Here is the rework. When can I get close to Lucian Freud?

Self Portrait

Many artist did their self portrait. Partly because it is the most available model. Many artists also record their "maturing" process in their lives. Rembrandt is the most noticeable example in art history from his playful youthfulness to the melancholic old age portrait. In the modern time, Lucian Freud is absolutely my favorite. His bare it all portraits, sometime in literary sense, are both courageous and admirable, in addition to his trademark artistry in figure painting.

The weather is cold around here at upper F30s and low F40s. It is hard to go out and do things. So, I spend 2-3 hours a day in the past two days to some drawing. I am quite surprised how little I know about my face. I do try to be honest as Freud. I will do an oil painting once I understand my face well enough. I hope I can get a bit closer to Lucian Freud's artistry. One can dream, can't we?

After some drawing, I felt comfortably familiar with my face. So, I painted myself in oil. This is the first time I am using wax medium. It seems to give a softer look.

For those who know me, please hit the figure to enlarge. You will see it IS me. LOL.

Color Field Portrait?

I had an interesting discussion with a local artist on Glenn Brown's work, particularly his use of flat color background. She thought that supports the subject of the painting (see the first figure. I thought his more successful ones using this approach is when the "background" occupies less area on the canvas. To prove to myself that this is the case, I painted the portrait of Madam X shown here in the second figure. I intend to make the "background" competes successfully with the figure itself. Yellow is usually a difficult color to deal with - its intensity depends very much on the neighboring colors. I chose it as "background" on purpose, and see whether I can make it very intense. You may need to click on the figure to enlarge it in order to see the intensity of the yellow.