10/13 - Thurs."Angelina's wheels" almost done

Almost done but not quite but instead of just posting the finished project once it's done, later today, I thought I'd post the progression. As I may have said in an earlier blog post, I don't force this - there are no prelim sketches, there are no no prelim work, and although I usually have it painted in my head before I start I let the picture and the paint guide me to what it wants me do:

The 5' x 4' canvas prepped - no detailed plan just prepped for the idea with acrylic, spray paint and chalk.



THIS is where I lost my way - instead of listening to the picture and the paint, I lost my courage and started painting what I thought people would want to see.  

Her face is an embarrassment. She got cutesy.
And, although this is not the finished product, her face and the content in the painting are closer to what the picture and the paint have been guiding me towards - an expression of energy:

I am removing that huge bulgey cheek - it's again too cutesy.

Most of my work can be cropped to small sections and it'll still make sense on it's own. I love this little corner - it has nothing to do with reality or getting her foot exactly "correct" BUT, instead,  it has everything to do with energy in negative space, color and a kind of free floating  balance.

Again, her cheek is going to be cut down so it's not so cartoonish- I love that you can feel the bike taking off while Angelina is standing still, posing with her wheels. The intent was to convey her white hot excitement and anticipation. I wanted it to feel like she and the bike aren't really even in the picture - they've gone on an adventure and what's left is our memory of them together.


Will post a better pic of the actual finished product asap.


To see more work go to:  http://becklane.com