Another painting nearly completed. Tess has been among the most difficult paintings I've ever taken on. Just looking at it you wouldn't know, but she is a composite of many different photos. Her human wanted to see Tess's quirks and special features, her love for her ball and her curved paw, and capturing them all in one photo just didn't happen. I had a really hard time getting a good photo of Tess, as she is a very shy creature, hates the camera and is elderly, too boot. Meeting Tess helped tremendously and a second visit later helped cement what we ( Tess's mom and I) thought would make a good composition. The elements would have to come from several photos, a few of mine, a few of hers.
And that was the easy part.
This is one of those pieces that I had to work on some, set away for awhile, work on other paintings, get input from my client, work some more, wait some more, etc. Getting proportions correct when doing a composite is a huge challenge alone. Adding to that was my leaning to certain colors that my client wasn't so fond of, so finding what worked for both of us and compromising along the way was a learning experience for the artist's side of me. I got it from a customer/personal point of view. But once I hit the palette and easel, it's another thing entirely.
Complicating this even more for me was my client's keen and critical eye. When I would ask about one item of concern, she would find another few to point out. Not that that is a bad thing, it's just that for me, I had my head wrapped around solving one issue and next I knew I had a few more to consider at the same time that I didn't see. Again, I learned a lot about being in my head and communicating that compared to a client seeing something with fresh eyes and what pops out for them.
Honestly, there were times when I didn't EVER want to look at this painting again. ( Since I'm blogging about my experiences, only posting the good moments would be unrealistic.)
Thankfully, my client was much more laid back than she may sound here. She simply says what she thinks and while that was hard, it was helpful. She also has given me time to "get it right" so we are both pleased with the outcome. How long has that been? Over a year. Really.
I'm back to a place where I'm painting Tess daily, working on the details and not minding a bit. I see progress and am feeling satisfied with the results. It's a good place for an artist to be.
I'll post the completed piece, after I say "I'm done" and after Tess's mom says "Yes, you are."
I want her to look at the painting every day and be able to say "That's my Tess."
This is Ella and Ali, two beautiful black labs who live together. Once their human and I agreed on a format, this painting was a joy to do. It was challenging with all the dark hair, various highlights and way too many blades of grass to even contemplate replicating, but fun to paint. Originally there were to be pots of geraniums or hydrangeas included, then perhaps more landscaping, but it all distracted from the pups, so away all that went. Sometimes a simple presentation is all ya need.