Opposites

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Winifred Whitfield

Time for Play 9×12 Oil Painting by Winifred Whitfield

I wonder if it was shocking to see this painting pop up. Art experts suggest you not always attempt to make your paintings “precious”. You shouldn’t working so intensely as though trying to create the next greatest masterpiece. Such endeavor, they say, halts creativity and experimentation. This can cause burnout and it’s not so much fun. I’m am pretty intense when I paint. Soon, my back hurting and my eyes strained, trying to get those brushstrokes just right – it’s emotionally very stressful. In the above painting, I just had fun – fun colors, fun and funny brushstrokes, unfinished hands – it didn’t matter. The photo reference was taken in a nail salon years ago when I use to get acrylic nails. My nails were pretty but I felt it such a waste of my time. I don’t have fake nails any longer. It’s really pointless given my current preoccupation, though I gave it up long before I was painting. Below: A painting far more on the serious side – “a girl in a lace shawl dreaming”.

Girl Dreaming – Oil Painting 9×12 by Winifred Whitfield

I like this painting, but I feel I’ve created so many pretty, dramatic and serious paintings – which “feel” quite similar. This painting is the opposite of the one above. I think I want to play a bit more – and work more with my painting knives. It’s easier on ones back!

Have a wonderful weekend. Winifred

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Pebble

Posted on August 12, 2022 by Winifred Whitfield

I said I would present you with a non-human portrait this week but ultimately I didn’t like the photo reference I had in mind – so I chose as usual, a human portrait – a little girl. Yet another portrait look with lots of texture. I love the way children hold tiny things in their hands – the items appear to be so precious to them.

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Pin Up Girl

Posted on July 23, 2022 by Winifred Whitfield

Known for their “pouty” red lips, big curls, wind blown up swept skirts, and long legs – I thought I’d give suchpainting a try – at least partially. Some years ago, I taught an entire online digital painting course focused on the great painters of pin up. I have many photo references taken more than 10 years ago while attending a photography competition in Nevada. A bunch of us hired a couple models and went into the desert to do a photo shoot. This is the first oil painting I’ve created from one of those references. I find all portrait paintings challenging, however, In this case, I was even challenged by the blouse! I completely repainted her blouse 6 times – not just changing it a little each time, but totally. I altered the style of brush strokes, style of texture,the shape of the blouse, the color – everything. Ultimately, the simpler I made it the better. Hope you enjoy my pin up. There is someone out there who very much reminds me of a pin up girl. The red dress you were wearing would have been perfect.

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Cutie Pie

Posted on July 16, 2022 by Winifred Whitfield

I’m finding that when I allow young children to pose themselves, they often do a remarkable job. I love his adorable pose. There aren’t words to instruct him to do this. The fact is, I was shooting a wedding 18 years ago, when I saw him. I ask him if I could photographed him. I saved this image in a special folder for that long – the folder is titled “portraits to be painted”.

Famous and brilliant artist Richard Schmidt said that one should always place a spot of red somewhere in a painting. That’s why, I added the little red label looking thing on his sleeve. I didn’t want to make it too red but the color spot does make a difference. Most of the time – I forget. Hope you enjoy. Have a wonderful weekend. Winifred

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The Weight of the World

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Winifred Whitfield

I painted this portrait during the time of the Tokyo Olympic Games. It portrays an emotion of the almost unbearable, whether it be sheer exhaustion, pain, sadness, defeat or even in the case of Simone Biles, “the twistees”. I’m sure this was an emotion that many of the athletes experienced at one time or another, as we all have in our lives.

As far as Simone Biles is concerned, I’m very proud of her decision to limit her performances in order to take care of mental and physical self. I hope we are all able to grow to to do the same.

I took many photos of this young lady with the intention of adding to my photo reference collection. I have many beautiful portraits of her. They are NORMAL beautiful portraits. Somehow, for reasons I cannot remember, I saw her hands go up to her face. It was not a pose I had created – not sure how it happened but I ask her immediately to repeat the action. I saw something special in it and more importantly I FELT something. Though I otherwise have some stunning photos of her, I immediately knew this was the pose I wanted to paint. It was so full of emotion. Hope you enjoy. Winifred

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Portrait Slight Smile

Posted on March 9, 2018 by Winifred Whitfield

Slight Smile – Oil Painting 9×12 Traditional Oil on Panel

Slight Smile – Oil Painting Portrait by Winifred

Did I ever tell you how difficult it is to paint portraits with accuracy of image likeness. Well, it really is difficult. There are so many nuances of tonal values, of color, techniques designed to tell you what moves forward and what’s in back and how the planes of the face turn. Spending 40 to 50 hours on a portrait is the usual. It is intricate and the detail can be tedious – if the portrait is in anyway realistic. At the same time I marvel when one is complete and I know I have done my very best. With each painting there is something I learn and can take into the next painting. No matter how difficult, I always look forward to the next.