Never done THIS before

Can’t exactly say what I haven’t done before, but it is something about this almost “fashion shoot” image. When I started I was wondering… but there is something magical about painting, adding layers of paint and see them blend and soften. It will be interesting to see where this goes. I do not think I am interested in doing it photo realistic, there is something that strongly appeals to me when the brush strokes are visible. This will dry overnight and I can most likely continue tomorrow. I am painting on birch, by the way.

Potsdam, 1909

I have finished my big painting (it is 36 x 59 inches). I made a small frame and gilded it and put it around the Stalin portrait. Then I took a decent photo of the painting with my studio lights. I hope the title will inspire some curiosity about the work. The photo I have worked from must have been taken around 1909. So Stalin was certainly not the dictator of the Soviet Union yet. The young family are luckily not aware of all they will experience in the future. I know some of what they had to go through, but I am hesitant to tell it all.

If it doesn’t work, do something radical

I have struggled with the indian and I have not been happy, so today I covered the entire painting with black and then started retrieving the picture, adding indian red and gold ochre and a little white. Well, it looks different anyways. I need to take another photo with less glare from the studio lights.

And the sea captain from Arild has a ring in his ear. And a hint of one in the other. I will let this rest and maybe take another look at it later. For some reason the colors came out a bit more true this time. I have been working very intensely on a commission the past few days, sorry, can’t show it now, it is probably supposed to be a surprise.

Some things are harder

Some things are easier. But it is never easy. The Cape Horn man is getting closer, I am actually quite pleased with the expression. The background color was very difficult to capture on camera, it is greener in reality. I used my Elinchrome studio lights, but still could not really get it. The ear-ring is still missing. The format of this painting is 32 x 25 cm.

Another little piece I have been struggling with for a very long time is this. 20 x 20 cm. Am slowly getting there. Will not give up quite yet.

A classic portrait with wide brush strokes

I have had fun today! Not working too exact, really spreading the paint thickly and adding, adding. Not too bad for a first day. Some adjusting and adding is needed. And the ring in the ear will be like icing on the cake.

Fastest around Cape Horn

I am starting on a small project. My friend Sverker in Arild sent me some info on a man who lived in Arild a hundred years ago. He was a captain who sailed the “seven seas” and at one time he and his crew sailed around Cape Horn faster than any other ship had ever done before. It became world news at that time. Some of his journeys were extremely tough and it is a wonder that he and his crew survived. He lived to be over 90 years old and for many years he wore a really cool gold ring in his ear. So I am going to try to make a cool painting of him, that will be donated to Arild next spring. A first sketch.

Fine-tuning

I have spent time on little details here and there. Now I will leave it on the wall for a time, while I work on other stuff. And I need to figure out a name that triggers the viewer’s imagination a bit more. Maybe “Two shots in the basement”…

Totally focused

Another day… not going anywhere, not doing anything else, just working on the painting. Making progress. It is so weird to paint because it is such a pain and still there is nothing else I want to do! Complicated.

Like I said, I enjoy working in my studio. The photo below shows the beautiful light from the big window. The cube on the table is a silicon art piece made by the Swedish artist Matthias van Arkel, who is also a friend.

The following photos show the view from the studio window. The Sangre de Cristo mountains are beautiful, covered in snow, with a clear blue sky and it is cold!

Another long day…

Today I have worked a lot on the faces. Up close they look very nice, at a distance… hmmm? Keep working. I have worked on the baby girl’s dress, as well as the mother’s blouse. Hours are passing by. Tomorrow I will work on the children’s clothes and do some more work on their faces. It is extremely subtle stuff that changes a lot. That makes it so hard.

Not easy…

Today I have arrived at an important conclusion: it is not easy to paint! Even though I have my technique and I am painting from a photo, it is still really, really hard. And as I never quite know how to approach a painting and never do it in the exact same way – and certainly not according to conventional methods (whatever they are?) – I am left hanging in the air, despairing and wondering how this is going to turn out. And on an ambitious piece like the one I am working on now, it will take a while until I feel that it is going to be ok… In any case, I love working in my studio!