Making the effort

Magic hour, 12" x 16"

I don't typically like painting figures. It's fairly simple to adjust a landscape and still have it look believable, but if something is off in your figure drawing everyone can see that it "isn't right" even if they don't know why. So time must be spent drawing (and I'm an impatient painter).

But my muse was awoken by this beautiful sunlit scene so I decided to go for it. As many of us artists are, I'm enchanted by color. Making the effort of getting a drawing correct first so I can then paint the glorious color isn't always the most enjoyable part of the painting process for me.

However, once my drawing was in and I was able to let loose all the beautiful colors of this scene onto the paper the process became magical. I finished this painting in one sitting (with a few breaks) yesterday and getting that drawing right was worth the effort.

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2 Responses to Making the effort

as you know, Kim, i have taken you on as my virtual pastel mentor .. and, your blog page is very helpful, in this regard .. there is sooo much for me to study in the piece you show, here .. the composition/ the Sargent-like handling of the figure/ the colours and contrasts/ and, especially, the light! .. the work-in-progress photos and your writings are, also, much appreciated .. many thanks ;-)

Posted by clif · via kimeshelman.com · 75 months ago

Clif, you are too kind with the Sargent comparison but I thank you! I'm glad you're finding my blog helpful and informative. I love sharing my passion for art. Kim

Posted by Kim Eshelman · via kimeshelman.com · 75 months ago

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The Color of Light: An Artist's Blog