Feather in Her Ear – Oil Painting 12×12 by Winifred Whitfield
It was only moments ago that I looked at this image and saw “FALL”. That’s what can happen when one combines yellow, orange, red, burgundy brown and green as the palette colors.This is particularly the case when you view some of the brushstroke shapes I created in this portrait. Also, I think I’ve solved the problem of the over sharpening of my digital files and too much contrast. What a pain that’s been. increased contrast and sharpening is fine for photos but not so for paintings. It ruins them.
You’ll be seeing some new styles of portrait paintings in the future and I’m looking forward to the process. Have a wonderful weekend. Winifred
Girl with Starfish 16×20 Oil Painting by Winifred Whitfield
I took the reference photo for this painting probably 17 or 18 years ago. It’s a photo, not even a digital file which I happened upon recently. This painting may get additional attention in the future – which is frequently the case, but for now, I’m just try to figure out how to get through the extreme and unusual heat expected over the next few days. Monday is projected to reach 106 – historic by far! The great majority of people in the Northwest don’t have air conditioning – including me. We would typically not use if for more than 1 or 2 days during the summer if the temperature reached the high 80’s or low 90’s for a couple of days. But as we’ve seen radical weather changes all over the country, it could happen here, again. Although no air conditioners are available right now – sold out, I think I’ll place an order believing that as early as it is in summer, I should plan for a duplicate performance. This is what’s on my mind today.
Fortunately, my studio is probably 20 degrees cooler than it is outside – so I’ll keep painting for sure. With care, keeping blinds and doors closed and fans going, I can maintain a reasonable comfort level and “power through” the heat. Sunday 99, Monday 106 degrees,Tuesday 90. Wednesday 81 or something like that, so I’ll manage. I’m a person who prefers 70 degrees so this heat will be challenging. Hope you’re comfortable wherever you are.
I think this painting falls somewhere between realism and abstraction. It’s unusual for me to paint in a style of such smooth gradients. It’s actually very challenging because there is a separate color mixed for each value and value and chroma of the hue used in her face. It was gratifying to complete this.
She “grooved” and swayed to her unique style of music. Dramatically, she lowered her head then tossed her thick black hair backwards. She played the violin using the bow but sometimes she just strummed it.
