Impressionist portraits

These are a series of portraits I have done predominately of people I know and am familiar with. When the markets and economy as whole plunged in 2008, I faced a diminishing market, to be polite. Portraits have always been a specific work driven form at best in the 2000s’ Should I adapt - how? should i become campy and trendy? Just not my way.


I simply started painting smaller - 8 x 10 in (20.32 x 25.4 cm) for my own state of mind practice and to keep working. No expectations, just friends and acquaintances I would take pictures with my iPhoto and if they were of interest I would paint them in a rather expressionist method. This for me is several steps away from a “formal” portrait where the colors a muted, the transitions are subtle and the focus is specific to that portrait. I have come to enjoy these greatly - example of the portrait dating back to the Venus of Willendorf forward includes many exaggerations of the human body that have enticed and has esthetically pleased people from the beginning of time. It would not be true to say that I don’t treasure the realism achieved by master artists because I seek them out as mentors of what is.

These are some of my pieces which may have saved my life.

-Gil

Jeffery & Tiffany Bishop

Jeffery & Tiffany Bishop

Veteran’s Day - "Back To The World"

When engaged in the minute by hour struggle, as warriors we dared not think about the “World” from where we came. 

Later - much later, I came to realize the duress, the struggle for people left behind to carry on as normal, carrying that gnawing fear of imminent harm; parents, friends, girlfriends, wife's, children, husbands. Their sincere attempts at relating to a different person that may have come back whole or in-part, but not whole. This is my acknowledgement of that sacrifice given by circumstance and resulting in trepidation by those waiting. For all time.

* My World *

Well, I’ve gone and done it... pictures of my refuge, sanatorium, art space, really a shed.  Sure takes the romantic artist scenario by the ears. But it’s my space and I get work done - nice music too. 

That is a thick sheet of glass I use for paints, I think it was a glass cutting board at one time. It is thick enough for me to feel secure in mixing scraping in order to clean up and generally sturdy enough not to take the wear.

So I lay out the colors that I feel I am most likely to use for a painting and then add colors as I go along. I don’t necessarily use a “minimal palate” nor an extended one. For the impressionist portraits that I have been doing recently 

Vasari paints: Cadmium red medium, viridian, cobalt blue, cadmium yellow light, transparent brown, zinc white, Peralba titanium white, Gamblin buff titanium, alizarin permanent, raw umber. 

The *World*

Today is Memorial Day and I have here displayed just a small portion of a painting that I have been working on way too long. Maybe I am lazy or maybe it is too important - even elemental to me and therefore most difficult to depict even for myself. This is for my brothers and me ,but there two adjoining sections (not displayed) that are an acknowledgment - a tribute, to those waiting for us to return. I cannot know or imagine the emotions and thoughts bearing down on the families, friends, lovers, veterans, people while we were absorbed in surviving; struggling to get back to the *World*.

Ian

Ian insisted in taking his hair down from the more ‘business-like’ ponytail and this is how I painted his portrait. Whether it is coding, origami or music, Ian excels. He has simply a fascinating and broad curiosity and intelligence which could be quite intimidating. What comes through for me is his humor, skill and love of family. My honor to be able to be allowed paint him.

synchronization

It's neat to successfully capture the recognizable image of another person - or animal for that matter. This is a portrait of another kind, it still a portrait - just a little different. We all know the standard measurements to a face, adult, child, male, female. As you look into a glass a broken glass or type carnival mirror there is still a face, a portrait. We have at times seen contorted and grill'in and perplexed , happy, sad delirious faces. All I think portraits that are worthy of capturing, maybe more-so.
So... watch the birdie ... smile!

What good are old phonebooks?

For me they are a resource, no please don’t send me your phonebooks, let me explain.

When painting in oil, I will often use two brushes of the same basic tone/color, such as a flesh or facial color. One is for the lighter mix and the other is for the darker mix. From these two I can use the same brush to paint a range using light without having to clean my brush constantly. What’s the phonebook for - call a shrink? Calm down - I’m getting to the point here.

The phonebook is for wiping off paint from my brush prior to selecting or mixing a slight variation to my “light” mix. Works very well for me and I just flip the page for another clean page - excellent! When I feel that the brush might be getting “muddy” I then wash it in solvent, walnut oil or some such, then use the phonebook again to take most of the pigment and solvent off and away I go. A time saver, I like that.

Stevie

I'm continuing to do portraits of people at work; with students - and just about anyone else I can capture on the iPhone and then paint them in a 8 x 10 format.


It just keeps me busy between other paintings that I have going, and I think that they will make an interesting collage when I put them together. Portraiture is always about the individual, I want to make these works about the shared attributes.


I'm assured that her name is based on Stevie Nicks just to put that question to rest. 
Stevie is a person that I work with at Florida Tech.
If you send me a picture I might paint you too. Please send digital pictures to my e-mail : gec@mac.com

Brush Recovery

This doesn't happen very often. However sometimes I am really eager to clean up after a painting session. There i am - I've left my brushes in a container and inevitably at the bottom the bristles are distorted into various shapes that they were never intended. Total loss?

Not hardly. In order to recover this brush what I use a brush aid called Brush Shaper by Mona Lisa. I have no connection with Mona Lisa whatsoever.

From here I clean the brush as I normally would, dip the brush in the brush shaper and then reshape the brush as best I can. I just want all of the hairs together, if the general shape is still twisted - that's ok - the next step deals with  that.

To correct ant twisting or bending I then put it into my paper clamp and in this case use the unprinted side of a business card in order to reshape the brush back to useable. This procedure seems to work out extremely well for me. Save that brush - it wasn't the brushes' fault!

My Best Friend

I have known Stewart my entire life and I am old. We grew up in the same neighborhood of Bethesda Maryland when Washington D.C. was a 'small' town - hard to believe now. People knew each other and regardless of political party our parents had sincere discussions and partied together always and had great respect and intermingled without issue. How times have changed, they would not recognize the situation. Regardless Stewart and I have remained friends throughout the years and have grown together regardless of the changes. This is a salute to my BEST friend - Stewart. I cannot properly express my dependance nor love that I owe this human being.

Mahatma Gandhi

This is a continuing series of people that I am interested in. Gandhi, like Lincoln and all others was very human with issues that they dealt with in their own ways. For me, the sum of their achievements far surpasses the failings that scrutiny can uncover. So, Gandhi is another person that gives me hope for the future of human kind. His influence continues through the generations and that is why I have tried to capture some of the mystery, the man that was Gandhi...


A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.
~Gandhi

Ruth Bell

Well I'm continuing to paint people. This one is my mother-in-law, Ruth. I'll add to this post later.

Joan

I have the extreme pleasure of working with some of the most talented and intelligent people. One them is Joan, as sensitive bright, soft-spoken a women as I have ever known.

Revisiting the Portrait

Dana Messier
Portraiture is a staple of people for as long as there has been history. There are formal, mood, sexy, work, family - the list goes on. These are character renderings at a basic level.

How do I Paint?

Sounds like a setup for a joke - and sometimes it is. However, I am asked by other artists and I answer this way…
I am a curious person and like the challenge of something new. I enjoy painting alla prima - all in one session.  Wet-in-wet, three hours max, as in a studio session. Summer is a slow - read pretty much non-existent time for group studios. I also paint, think about it, let it dry, go on to another painting or what ever; come back and paint more. In this case, I have been brushing on walnut oil so that the surface is wet and I can work my pigments back in that way. Seems to work well, so I don’t often use retouch varnish or a mixture. Bonus; walnut oil is eatable! It also does a decent job of cleaning brushes - I just don’t eat it after I do. The pure walnut oil that is strained I can purchase from the art store, or I can get a nice large container from the nearby health food store. Like I said - its eatable.

Grill’n

I find little use for painting if I don’t occasionally add what I refer to as content to my work. More specifically, some current observations and experimenting with new symbols. For example, I use the skyscraper - well, not so new - the first was built in 1885 and was 10 stories high. Technology - phones, ipods, music players, cars, appliances seem to change; and do; on a monthly basis. Now there's some room for me to add contemporary and interesting objects for me to explore.

So, this rant brings me around to Grill’n, a way of posing for pictures, usually in groups of 2 or more. It’s an anti-portrait, totally apposed to the recognizable snapshot most of us expect. I like this painting - it is capturing an essence of modern life that I think will continue, a dissatisfaction with the status quo. Ah, the youth - the new - a rejection of me, the old - it's simply too natural. These girls - no women - no men/boys - age group - don't even see me; I am invisible to them. Out with the old; in with the new!
Grilli'n.


As this is a ‘portrait’, it creates a lot of problems for the painter; (that would be me), it needs to resemble the person(s) portrayed - but boy, does it tell a story!

"Three Daughters of Widows"

This is another of the current series of content paintings. I do not consider this a ‘dark’ painting at all, but rather a ‘true’ painting. As Thomas Jefferson wrote; “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants alike”. As a warrior I can understand the words. As a son, friend, husband, as one who left behind family and friends to pursue duty - regardless of how you view duty to country there is still the emptiness, as someone left waiting, the constant concern toward someone in a danger zone. This painting is dedicated to those left waiting; those left with memories; and the following generations affected. These women's father each served the full measure for their families, community and country.

This painting is based on a photo I took of my wife, Cathy Bell, her sister Barbie (Bell) Burnett, and Hazel Bagwell, at Arlington Cemetery, Virginia.

“Monumental Failure of Common Sense”

I have been berated for not having blogged in a long time. I have some valid excuses, but not so much now. I have a few paintings that are finished except for some touch-up work and drying time. As soon as they can be photographed I will display them here. You will be the first, I promise.

One work is tentatively named, “Monumental Failure of Common Sense” and is another of my ‘content’ paintings. Plus another 2, “Three Daughters of Widows” and “Grill’in”. Actually, these three paintings are all ‘content’ paintings. I do works in series you see…

The “Monumental Failure of Common Sense” painting is a dark work, and I suspect it will not be popular. It started out with the three figures in a rather flat, open setting where I thought that was where it would remain. Not a chance. It begged me for darkness and clutter and modeling and… a topical setting. The lack of clothes is symbolic rather than literal - the figures are neuter-like, so as to demonstrate or empathize what is missing or lacking. The cell phone (or device) is one of my additions for current technology and/or collective mind set. Even (especially) with the 3 figures there is emptiness; blocky buildings with some few warm lights from which these 3 are wandering the pavement. So, there it is - my rant, as I am writing this after finishing the piece - there is really no way to re-capture what contributed or avoid romanticizing into something thoughtful.

The Veteran's Wall

The Viet Nam veteran's wall has come to Wickham Park, Melbourne, Florida again this year. This is a yearly event which now fittingly salutes all veterans of any conflict. Whatever a person may feel about the inevitability of war or the propensity of humans for war - these are my comrades; my brothers and sisters - heres to you.
This is an unfinished work at this point, I just wanted to display it as a sort of tribute. A tribute to the families of solders at home always wondering if their loved ones are safe - that they are coming home. Oil/canvas 30" (76. cm) x 72" (183 cm)