Portrait Painting Beginnings and Polly

I hope you'll enjoy my new series about creating the women in my portfolio-their inspiration and birthing.  The ideas come from English mystery novels, nature, the Art Deco period, the 1920's and 30's, flappers, models, fashion, color and texture and, of course, my mind.  

Each of my "Ladies" becomes very personal to me.  After all, you can't spend hours and hours with someone and not get to know them.  The funny thing is that they tend to change (just like a woman, eh?).  

From the sketch to the canvas can be a tricky business.   I cannot re-create a face and you will see this when you compare the pencil drawing to the painted lady.  It amazes me how much one tiny line of the nostril, the eyes and the mouth can change the whole feeling.  I feel like a cross between a plastic surgeon and a makeup artist.  

The "Prose" written on the back of the blank note cards are usually written after a painting is created.  Some of them were written months afterwards and some developed as I was painting.  As unbelievable as it sounds, the women seem to talk to me.  This happens when their face is completed-and often, as said before, their demeanor and words may change.

"Polly"

Polly is the smallest "Lady" I have done.  She is 8" x 10"on gallery wrapped canvas.  Unlike most of the other paintings,  the design is continued on the sides.  It just felt right.  She is done in acrylic, as usual, with a bit more use of artist pens.  Artist pens are markers-fine point pens, most of them by Faber -Castell.  I wanted her to be very Art Deco and stylized with not too much detail so there is very little shading-especially on the hat and blue sphere.

Below is how Polly began.  I found a profile of a girl in a hat in a magazine.  I sketched her, cut her out
and traced her onto the canvas.  I substituted a vine and flowers for the pearls in the sketch.   I have a thing for tendrils and vines..I like the flow, density and delicacy.

I had a picture of a bird and thought he/she would be a good addition.   (As mentioned above, her nose changes from sketch to canvas).  Notice the sharper nose and a more horizontal nostril in the sketch.  She's not quite as upper crust as in the sketch.  The blue sphere is seen in many Art Deco drawings.  As in several of my paintings, she is not in an actual landscape.  She is very stylized as the period dictates.  

I can't remember why I gave her that name.  I usually get names from novels I read, but I'm not sure that's true in her case.   I do think it suits her, though.  No, not from "Polly wants a cracker."

Her "Prose" is on the back of her matching note card.  I have to admit, I love the last line.  

To view the last line and more, please go to "Portfolios", "notecards" on my website 
           http://artistfascia.com         

Please click to "follow" me to learn about the creation of my other portraits.