Portrait Of Anne 6th Sitting

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The first thing did on commencing our sixth session, was to lower Annes mouth line. I always find proportions the most troublesome aspect of painting from life. I know when there is something not quite right but it takes a while to realise what it is. And of course when you change one thing, something else needs adjusting. The result is that the image grows bigger, (for me, it never seems to reduce in size), and eventually goes off the edge of the canvas in some instances. I recall reading about my favourite artist Lucien Freud, saying that he would rather the forms went off the edges than to have them cramped. In recent paintings I've noticed he even adds another bit of canvas just for a foot or something, resulting in some odd shaped compositions!
It's actually reached the most interesting stage for me, and I really enjoyed this painting session, but I'm still finding it hard going and frustrating. I think it's going well and then at the end of the day I put down my brushes, stand back and I hate it. It is always like this. I walk away miserable with myself. Coming back into the studio is always difficult, and I avoid making eye contact with the painting for as long as possible. But in a perverse way it is motivating. I immediately feel the need to work on it some more. I can see what needs doing. This, in it's turn, is also a source of frustration because of course I can't work on it further until next week when Anne sits again.




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