babyface

There's often a stage toward the beginning of working on a painting when doubt creeps in. Sometimes, after a rough first-pass, I'll look over a picture and think, Ugh—how am I gonna fix this? "Cute" subjects, such as babies and children, can look particularly grotesque when the image is still new and full of areas to resolve. They can also be very rewarding to stick with to the end, as an exercise in trusting one's abilities and insights. Here I painted my youngest cousin when she was a baby; I've chosen to include an early stage image, when the painting was not looking too successful, alongside the finished product, which I quite like.

"Balloon Baby." Oil on canvas, 2017.

#portrait #oilpainting #painting #colortheory #whiledthings #skinesthesia