Etiquette for Artists and Their Nude Models

I've been asked recently for some guidelines for appropriate artist's behavior when working with models in a life drawing group. This is what I came up with.

Rules for Artists:

1. DO NOT touch the model, NO exceptions. No touching is a cardinal rule, not to be broken, ever. This rule also applies to artists when working with models privately for life drawing or photography sessions.

2. DO NOT photograph the model and do not ask the model if you can take a picture. A model may feel obligated to say yes because you are paying them, so it's best to not even ask. Make a separate appointment for photography because when an artist's model does photographic modeling, they make at least two to four times as much per hour as live models. Photographers/artists should have a model release specifically stating the intended use of the photographs.

3. DO NOT chat with the model when he/she is modeling. Conversation is distracting for the model and your fellow artists.

4. DO NOT make comments about the model's body.

5. DO NOT invade the model's personal space.  This includes sitting on the model stand any time the model is on it, five feet away is a good starting point.

6. DO NOT ask the model personal questions such as their last name, where they live, etc.

7. DO NOT ask the model out on a date.

8. DO NOT remove your clothes when the model does. I bring this up because it happened in one of my drawing classes when I was a college student.

9. DO NOT allow non-artists to wander through the room. 

"It's a Man's World" New Painting

It's a Man's World, 16x20, oil on canvas over panel

I wanted to explore further the idea of disguise, in this case donning on a man's persona. How would the world be changed if everyone could put on a mustache and instantly be equal?

There is whimsy and humor in this piece but for me there is a deeper thread about gender equality. My favorite works of literature, music or art can make me laugh and cry because life is funny and poignant.

Click Read More below to see details of the painting.

Women Painting Women 2014 Art Show Catalogs

Learn more about the Women Painting Women blog, my posts about the Pay It Forward show brought to you by Women Painting Women, and WPW: 5th Annual and Juried International Show at Principle Gallery Charleston and Matter Deep Publishing.

Women Painting Women: 5th Anniversary & International Juried Show

By Matter Deep Publishing

82 pages, published 8/15/2014

Women Painting Women: 5th Anniversary & International Juried Show, Principle Gallery Charleston, Exhibit Catalog, 2014

Pay it Forward

By Matter Deep Publishing

48 pages, published 8/15/2014

Pay it Forward, Principle Gallery, Exhibit Catalog, 2014

Women Painting Women and Pay It Forward

Principle Gallery, Alexandria, VA presents Pay It Forward: 2014

Five years after the first Women Painting Women blog began, the WPW concept is alive and well.

Matter Deep Publishing Catalog: Preview or Buy.
Cover painting by Mia Bergeron

The scope of the movement is evolving with this year’s exhibits:

~Pay It Forward, Principle Gallery, Alexandria, VA, is an exhibition in which the group and gallery are further pushing the ideals of WPW. New artists have been nominated to exhibit, all painting genres highlighted, and 10% of sales will go to a charity of the collectors choice, thus engaging artist, gallery and collector in the act of paying it forward. You may see a preview of the show HERE.

Excerpt from Principle Gallery exhibit statement from the catalog:

In 2014 we will continue to celebrate the modern female artist, and this year we chose to highlight works touching on all genres: figurative and portraiture, still life, as well as landscape.  This incorporation of new subjects allows for us to fully display the mastery of talent that can be found in today’s female artists.  Using the title Pay it Forward, we want to highlight the new artists who have been invited to show with us for this iteration of WPW shows.  Some of the original artists and those from (R)evolution  have paid their “place” in the exhibition forward to a new name, which allows the group’s membership to grow and thus further promotes exposure and recognition of women as painters. 


Excerpt from the catalog, exhibition statement by Alia El-Bermani, Co-Founder of Women Painting Women:

We are hopeful that the cumulative effect of this Pay it Forward exhibition inspires others in the art world and beyond to build a better, stronger community of artists. As the saying goes, “a rising tide lifts all boats.” Increased awareness of and appreciation of our fellow artists – built by sharing opportunities – will help foster a generous, supportive, and collegial art world.  

I'm so pleased to have two pieces in this show.

Fire, Earth, Air, and Water, 16x16, oil on panel (More about this painting later.)

Fast Lane at Principle Gallery Charleston

Check out and subscribe to Principle Gallery's new YouTube Channels! They'll be adding videos, like this one of Fast Lane in progress, from their other artists and events.



Here are the links for the Alexandria and Charleston locations. One more sampling below, is a time lapse video of Teresa Oaxaca's recent live painting demo. Enjoy!

Paintings Reveal a Geek Artist

I'm so pleased and honored to have work in the June issue of Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine. It contains an ad for my work that includes three paintings: Day Star, Silver Flower and Near the Tannhauser Gate.

The work is available through Principle Gallery, Alexandria and Charleston locations.

I'm afraid these titles reveal my geek side a bit. The women are painted as allegories for day and night, but that seemed a tad boring as titles so I went looking for something more poetic. Day Star and Silver Flower are Lord of the Rings references to the sun and moon. 

Day Star, 11x14, oil

And a few details:

Super close-ups are a great record of the artist's journey through a painting. I was paying close attention to the color temperature shifts in the skin here. I'd decided that the light is predominately cool and the shadows are mostly warm with a slight cool reflected light on the far side of the face. This thinking helps to solidify a plan of attack when choosing which colors to use and where to use them. 

Click Read more to see other detail shots and painting tips:

Alla Prima

I'm practicing for another Face Off live painting demo. This time at Principle Gallery's Charleston location, April 4, 2014, 5-8pm. I'll be painting alongside Rachel Constantine and Alia El-Bermani from the same model. The event is free and open to the public. Please stop by and see us!

This is a painting I did last week. I thought everyone might enjoy seeing a few shots of the piece in progress. This is an alla prima process which means that it was painted in one sitting. Alla Prima is Italian and literally means "at once." I apologize for the less than adequate iPhone images.

This was after one 20 minute session. I try to get the head the right size, decide the placement of the features and notice the areas of shadow and light. I'm blocking in with burnt umber slightly thinned with my medium mixture of linseed oil/OMS in a 60/40 ratio.

Next I continued working on the umber shapes. I rubbed out the reflected light with a T-Shirt. I blocked in the light areas noticing the peculiarities of the shapes, and varied the color slightly where I saw big changes.

During this session I continued making adjustments to the shadow and light shapes. I brought the hairline down and worked on the shape of the face. Between this step and the final I had one more session that I forgot to shoot :(

Meghan in a Cool Mood, 20x16, oil sketch on canvas board.

All told, it was a 3 hour model session. With breaks, we had five 20 minute sessions of actual time with the model.

Alla Prima Pros:
Alla prima painting is an entirely different style of painting than my studio work. I highly recommend it. I think it's fun, exhilarating and it has made me a better painter. It improves confidence with a brush and decision making, because, let's face it, there's no time to ponder a particular shade of pink! Just get something down that is close and move on.

Time Distortion:
One very strange thing I've noticed about these sessions is that the first 20 minutes seems very long, and with each successive session, time seems to go faster and faster. It's a very strange phenomenon because the feeling is so pronounced. I'm used to getting "in the zone" while I work but it feels different. Maybe it's because the timer's interruption causes artificial breaks rather than times when I'm naturally coming out of the zone, like bathroom or food breaks or some body part or another has gone to sleep.

The time passing faster is a lot like life, isn't it? Time seems to pass faster all the time as we age and it's the same with the life of each of these little sketches.

Other tid bits:
~The canvas is Frederix Belgian Linen Paint Board.
~It was stained with an acrylic wash in burn umber.
~I use almost exclusively Rembrandt oil paints, and Silver & Rosemary brushes.

I invite you to follow me on Tumblr and on Instagram. Click Alla Prima to see my other posts on the this fun subject.

Enjoy! See you in Charleston. 

Daughter of Thought, Women Painting Women:(R)evolution

Here's my third painting in the show at Principle Gallery, opening Sept 20, 2013.

Daughter of Thought,  47x32, oil on canvas over panel.

My model was Philadelphian, and fellow Women Painting Women artist, Rachel Constantine. She is a stand-in for each of my Athena like WPW sisters.

Click Read More below to see more details and links to all the artists in the show.

The Seamstress, Women Painting Women: (R)evolution

Here's my second painting for the show, opening Friday, Sept 20, 2013 at Principle Gallery. Do women paint women differently than men do? All the WPW shows are giving us a chance to see these paintings in a collective way and giving us an opportunity to contemplate the question.

The Seamstress, 39x32, oil on canvas over panel.

I have painted a male model wearing this superhero shirt many times but never painted a woman wearing it and decided the Women Painting Women:(R)evolution exhibit was the perfect time to do it.

This is one of those paintings that for me began as a story inspired by an individual and personal story but has transcended into a universal theme.

The model is my daughter, Carly. Rather than wait for her time to come this young heroine is taking her destiny in hand. Who doesn't want to be a superhero? ‘Tis better to create her own reality, even though at times it may feel as though she’s holding it all together with safety pins. She can be in charge and look feminine and sexy as hell at the same time.

Click on Read More below to see details of the paintings and musings.

Women Painting Women Press, Vive La (R)evolution!

The Women Painting Women: (R)evolution shows running concurrently this fall are getting AWESOME press:

Fine Art Connoisseur online, by Allison Malafronte

American Art Collector, Sept 2013 issue, by Rochelle Belsito.
(more images from this article in my next post about The Seamstress)

Click Read More below to see the rest of the press.

Women Painting Women:(R)evolution, Self Portrait with Beard

Count down to Friday, Sept 20, 2013 opening at Principle Gallery, Alexandria, VA!

I'm so pleased that I have three paintings in this show. Here's the first one. (the other 2 will be in subsequent blog posts)

I've been journaling this idea for a while and trying to figure out a way to do it properly. It started with the oft repeated sentiment "It's man's world." When designing pieces for this show on the theme of Women Painting Women: (R)evolution I knew it was time to explore this concept.

Self Portrait with Beard, 20x16, oil on linen over panel

Click Read More below to see details of the painting and info about the show and monster press from all seven 2013 WPW shows.

Principle Gallery Face Off - Round II

The Face Off- Round II went off without a hitch and a good time was had by all. I have to say thank you to my fellow artists who helped me settle my nerves so that I could PAINT!

And a big thank you to Michele, Clint, Julia, Jessica and Chris, who kept everything running incredibly smoothly. You guys are the best.

Here is a pictorial review for your enjoyment! Photos courtesy of Principle Gallery. 

Click Read More below to continue:

Vive La (R)evolution!

Principle Gallery, Catalog, Women Painting Women blog, Matter Deep Publishing.

Women Painting Women: (R)evolution Catalog Available!

Enjoy!

Women Painting Women: (R)evolution

By Matter Deep Publishing

54 pages, published 8/12/2013

Women Painting Women: (R)evolution, Principle Gallery, Exhibit Catalog. Sept 20-Oct 18, 2013

More Alla Prima Portraits, or Face Off Warm-up Post 3

More Face-Off warm up. 20 minute sessions. You may see my first couple of practice post here and here. Enjoy...I did!

In the first 20 minutes I did a line drawing using burnt umber paint straight out of the tube. My canvas is a Fredrix, Pro, Belgian Linen, previously stained with Gamblin Fast Matte, in a combination of transparent earth red and ultramarine blue.

During the second 20 minutes I added a little background, placed the nose, lips and started laying in the chin and neck.
Click Read More to see the rest of the in-progress pictures below the break.

Face Off Gets Previewed in American Art Collector

The Face-Off event is a painting demo at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA on August 16, 2013, from 6-9 pm. You can read about it in the August issue of American Art Collector.

I'll be painting alongside Mia Bergeron, Cindy Procious and Rachel Constantine. We'll all have new work at the gallery through Sept 3. The article previews a few of the paintings that will be on display.

You may see my previous post about my alla prima practice I've been doing to prepare here and here. 

More Alla Prima Portraits

Still practicing up for the Face-Off at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA on August 16, 2013, from 6-9 pm. Here's a post about my first set of alla prima practice pieces.

Next on the easel was my future son-in-law, Will. Will was also my model for The Mariner, The Incognito Project. 

In the first 20 minutes I did a line drawing using burnt umber paint straight out of the tube. My canvas is a Fredrix, Pro, Belgian Linen, previously stained with Gamblin Fast Matte, in a combination of transparent earth red and ultramarine blue.

More about my pre-mixed flesh color palette here. 

During the second 20 minutes I added a little background, placed the nose, lips and started laying in the beard.
Click Read More to see the rest of the in-progress pictures below the break.

The Alla Prima Portrait - Ten Thousand Hours

I've been practicing for the Face-Off event that is happening at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA on August 16, 2013, from 6-9 pm.

It will be a live painting demo at the gallery in which I'll be painting the same model as Mia Bergeron, Cindy Procious and Rachel Constantine. We did it last year and it was super fun! DC area artist Suzanne Lago Arthur did a great post about the event last year on her blog.

Photo by Suzanne Arthur Lago from last year's event.

Nothing like the prospect of painting with a bunch of super talented artists in front of a live audience to inspire one to practice!

In an attempt to sharpen up my alla prima (all in one sitting) oil sketching skills, here's what I've been up and what I've been figuring out.

Dan, 20x16, oil on canvas

More about the set up, the painting process and other sketches below the break.

Little Dramas Everywhere

I've delivered two paintings to Principle Gallery for their 2013 Still Life Invitational.

Bad Business, 9x14, oil on canvas

 And here are a few details:

Indiscretion, 9x12, oil on panel

And a few details:

Custom frames by James at Forstall Art Center finished off my little dramas.

The show opens Friday April 12, 2013, 6:30pm-9pm and be up for a month. It looks like a great show!

Steampunk Professor Rattus and Lois Lane

Tomorrow may be my birthday but today held a big, happy surprise.

My painting Professor Rattus and Her Royal Court, The Incognito Project, is featured in an ad for Principle Gallery in the American Art Collector's March 2013 issue.

And in the same issue, my painting, Fast Lane, is in the article about collecting art in the Washington, DC & Mid-Atlantic States area. Thank you Principle Gallery and American Art Collector!

Just for fun here's a video of the rat wrangling it took to get photo reference for Professor Rattus.

 
And here is a video of in progress shots and details of Fast Lane.



You may find a blog post with Professor Rattus and details here, and details of Lois Lane in Fast Lane and the companion piece Call of Duty, here.

All three of these paintings are featured in The Incognito Project book, which is available at Principle Gallery, through Matter Deep Publishing or from my website.