“Sharon at 18,” a portrait.
Acrylic, collage, mixed media, charcoal, found papers, joint compound on 18″x24″ canvas.
After I finished the last canvas, “Nyx,” I really needed to loosen up and just paint whatever came into my head without worry about proportions, lighting, corrections. I began this yesterday by gluing down odd pieces of paper including some copies of other completed pieces. I gessoed over the papers and painted in some background color – still not really knowing where it was going. I knew the hand in the upper right corner would be important. I went back to the backgrounds late last night and drew in a profile with a charcoal pencil, then I added some outline hair. I began filling in the profile, with white, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, payne’s gray, phthalocyanine blue, and burnt umber. I worked fast and tried not to think too much about what I was doing.
Near the finish of the painting I “saw” the hand with a lifeline attached and this led to the image of a house, which I think of as a symbol for the soul. I called it “Sharon at 18,” someone who is always in the background of my mind.
Love your process of this piece. The final outcome possesses an element of magic.
oh, wow, i love this olivia… your faces are so evocative, so gorgeous… xoxo