Ok, I feel it is completely finished now. It has regained its grit and raw charm and is more anatomically correct. I like the colors especially, it is rusty, raw muscle and looks sweaty.
I asked Liam if the man was alive or dead. Liam is my artistic compass, he isn’t pretentious and he is very honest. He isn’t really interested in art but that makes him an ideal person to show art to. He is intelligent and perceptive and if he likes it, I know it will be appealing to a large portion of the market. And no, he doesn’t just tell me he likes it because he is my husband, he has criticized my works too. Anyway, as I was saying, I asked if he was alive and Liam thinks he is because his hand looks like it is clutching something. Then I asked if he was in pleasure or in pain? I still don’t have an answer on that – anyone? bueller? ok, my personal belief changes depending on how I am feeling. If I feel sexy then he is, but if I am hurting then it is about pain. I like a painting that is multi use!
Liam asked me if the art world would view nudes as an amateur subject. I have to admit that I don’t know. Most art study I have done is historical and of course the nude is a universal subject in history, But right now? I dont know. And do I want to conform anyway? Isn’t that what art is all about when you come right down to it? Right now I like to paint nudes. I have always liked to paint real subjects realistically. I will write about Jeffrey Smart at some time soon, he is my favorite Australian artist because he refuses to let wanky trend dictate his style. Also his work is magnificent. I will illustrate later – it needs its own chapter.
In other news, I have been playing with arpeture and stuff on my camera to try to photograph my art better. It is fun and effective. This photo required barely any modification in iPhoto, just a little light exposure and contrast editing and cropping. If you are interested in my settings they are available in flickr. This was a low light flashless photo and it turned out pretty well considering I am such an amatuer!
Jennie's Palette 