Painting - Week of August 20th

These are the oil paintings I did last week.  It was my second week off and I think I was pretty productive without driving myself too hard since it is my vacation.

This is a copy in black and white of a Velasquez painting. Sunny suggested this as a good exercise.

I did this painting on Saturday.  I was so proud of it.  I can't even believe it came out of me.  I am really pleased with the flesh tone and the hair.

 I did this in Israel Martinez's Wednesday class.  I felt pretty good about it.  Sunny said I should have a little more sensitivity with the highlights and the darks. I was pleased with it.

 I did this in the uninstructed session at Graphaids west LA.  The model Evin is quite beautiful  Sunny said I should have pushed the shadows more in her face.  He also mentioned the dress is too soft.

All and all I have to say for me it was a good week in painting and I think I made a lot of progress.

Late July to Mid August Paintings

I am trying to keep painting although I always get very frustrated and emotional about it.  I need to be more Zen but instead I am look an overly emotional soccer mom who should be banned from her kids games.  I feel sensitive, frustrated and I hate myself a lot when I am painting.  I often feel like a no talent loser and start wondering why I bother.  I am going to try to be more like Andy Murray and say things to myself like he said at Wimbledon - "I am getting closer."

This was a piece I did today that Sunny helped me with.  I thought I was doing ok but I wasn't. It seems to have turned out ok in the end.

 I did this a couple weeks ago on Saturday.  I was so tired that I asked Sunny if I could paint in black and white.  I couldn't deal with color this morning.

 This is a still life I did in Sunny's class.  I am trying to figure out what I am doing here.  Looking at it now it seems a little gray and some of the shadows look like cut outs.

 I did this last Saturday. I had a bit of trouble with the lips and as always the flesh tones.

 I was happy with this painting when I did it. Sunny said my hair looked like a cut out so I tried to soften it.

 I went to Israel Martinez's still life class this Wednesday.  I really thought it was a good class. I was the only person painting.  2 other young guys were in the class and they were drawing. Sunny told me some of my cloth looks like a cut out and my pear doesn't look 3 dimensional.

 I did this painting at Graphaids uninstructed. Tim liked it. Sunny thinks my flesh should be warmer. I think my eyes are weird. I think I will try to work with the head bigger on the page  I seem to get lost at this size with the features.