23 February 2010

Study of Mary for "Mary with Boy Christ"

This image above is a drawing study done back in 2008, although the idea for this painting of "Mary with Boy Christ"has been banging around my head since 1988. I have since revisited the concept again and below is the current oil study, done Feb 2010. I hope to retain some of its looseness in the final painting.
The oil study above is of Raquel Machado as Mary, my perennial Mary model. Although Raquel lives in Utah and since I in Virginia, this oil study is based on a lifelike clay maquette, 50% human scale of Raquel. I use maquettes in many these serial paintings with the same figure. The maquette has captured my model of Raquel in time, when I first had her model for me 8 years ago. I was rather happy with the immediacy and fluidity of the image above.

Alla Prima Oil Study of Live Model, "Alex"

This is an oil study done from a live model, Alex. It is an exercise in "alla prima" painting, in other words, completing a painting from a live session, roughly 3-4 hours. I did take it home and do some touch-ups, but it is mostly "all prima."