Saturday, February 26, 2011

"Mask with Dove" or " A Little Bird Told Me..."





Oil on 5x7 inch hardboard panel



One of the things I really enjoy drawing are faces. I've had this ceramic mask for years, and I always look at it, and see a painting.. but I always put it off and do something else. I finally decided to play with it a little and found that with the addition of the blue tissue paper, it started to look interesting. I added the little dove beside it..(I have a bunch of different things hanging around on shelves, and the dove caught my eye). It's little red beak matched the mask's red lips and cheeks. I love the blue, and the way it reflected into the shadows. I played with cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, winsor violet and permanent rose in combination with white.
It took me forever to get a good photo though, the blue in every picture came out neon bright, and absolutely glowed in the shadows!! The real painting was not at all like the pictures... so I tried different settings, different lighting... tried photoshop alterations... and I have finally come up with a photo I am satisfied with. At least, on my monitor it looks right... if the blue is overwhelming on your monitor, just know that it is not quite that intense!

7 comments:

  1. Debbie, this one is really special! My favorite to date. The bird brings the mask to life.

    Have you considered entering it in a competition?

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  2. Thank you Mona, I never thought about entering into a competition before, that's an interesting idea!

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  3. I think this is one awesome still life setup and it made for a gorgeous painting, Debbie. I love the tissue paper idea too. I don't set up still lifes but it is always a thought in the back of my mind and you just might have added the interest factor with the tissue paper! Love that idea!

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  4. Very beautiful, Debbie......you really captured the porcelain feel.

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  5. You WOW me with this piece.
    Beautiful and great idea.

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