“In The Garden” Portrait Oil Painting of a Child

“In The Garden”

16×20″ Oil on linen panel

This is the second study that I completed this summer. It’s part of a series that I began discussing in my previous post. Most of what I shared in my last post regarding “A Mother’s Gift” applies to this work as well.  My model, her parents, and I, were enjoying a very hot buggy day this summer in very late afternoon (to near sunset)  soft light.

My goal was to capturing a moment in a more impressionist manner rather than in an academic  style. It remained important to me to capture the soul of my model and an exact likeness. I enjoyed sculpting the hat with thick impasto oil paint, and the background was pure abstract expression with the intent of adding interest and creating harmony and balance to the composition. The grass she was sitting in was just to boring to even begin to want to paint so I had fun with it.

Again, she was backlit with soft indirect sky light on her face. There was very little value change, only subtle temperature changes on her face which can also be very difficult to paint well.  I pushed the color in her flesh tones picking up some of the other surrounding composition color which I think added interest and harmony. I did not overly blend the paint, and it may be somewhat crude in places but it feels very pleasing and full of life to me. Hope you enjoy it.

We hope to be taking this one to the Baltimore show this weekend along with “Mother’s Gift”.

Thanks for tuning in.

Mark

www.MarkLovettStudio.com