Charles Muench Oil Painting Demonstration
Winter Holly
Although my model, Holly, is always enthusiastic about
challenging poses and locations, I made extra efforts
to ensure her comfort. My late season hunting boots and
a big propane heater kept her posing throughout the winter
morning. For myself, I made use of heat pads and covered
the snow around my easel with black cloth to prevent eye-fatiguing
glare.
I massed in a wash of “wintery”
tones and lightly sketched in the general shapes
of the painting. The purple dot marks the center
of the canvas. I also put down pieces of paint indicating
the value extremes of the painting. I try and establish
this within the first pose (20-30 minutes.)
|
When working with models,
the painting becomes a collaborative effort. The emotions
of the model will invariably be expressed in paint.
The nuances of movement and grace will be revealed
to the perceptive artist over the course of the painting
sessions. One must be willing to make changes in the
painting to enhance that which truly expresses the
qualities of your subject.
|
| |
|
At this stage I indicate
the positioning of the cast shadows and develop the
face in terms of accurate hue, value, and chroma. Observing
how the secondary light source reflected off the snow
affects the planes of her face plays a major roll in
these decisions. I am working fast and trusting/hoping
my initial statements are accurate. |
| I continue to focus on massing
in the general shapes and planes of the painting. I
keep returning to the face, this time focusing on refining
the shapes of the eyes. I have a tendency to bounce
around the painting, working on “easier”
passages while taking a break from the extreme difficulty
of the face. As the background has changed so significantly
at this point, I focus only on the figure. This is about
3 hours into the pose. |
|
|
This is after an additional
three hours in the studio refining edges, shapes, and
drawing. I set up outside for 2 hours the following
morning to focus on the background. I let the painting
dry for a week and made final adjustments and added
the texture achieved from adding wet paint over dry.
|
"Winter Holly"
28" x 22"
Oil on Linen
This painting will be exhibited in the
Salon International Show 2005
at the Greenhouse Gallery in San Antonio, TX
Charles Muench is a nationally recognized painter living
in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. He has won
numerous awards and his work has been featured in national
magazines including, Southwest Art, Art of the West, Art
Talk, International Artist and Plein Air Magazine (May
2005.) He teaches workshops throughout the nation. Information
about Charles Muench’s workshops and exhibitions
can be found on his website. www.CharlesMuench.com
|
