Self Portrait



Julie Devine, Self Portrait, 2011
Oil on panel, 20" x 16"

 I've been working on this self portrait on and off for several weeks. I set up a mirror in my studio to paint myself from observation in natural daylight. The studio has windows on three sides. On a sunny day, diffused warm light comes in through white japanese screens from the south side, while the northern light is always cool.

The challenge in this portrait was to observe and represent the color and value shifts of reflected light, and model form using these shifts instead of relying heavily on chiaroscuro to turn form. The background is largely invented, but I like how it turned out.

Workshop with Jordan Sokol

Last week I had the opportunity to study with Jordan Sokol, a principal instructor from the Florence Acadamy of Art.  In one intensive weeklong workshop, he taught an extraordinary amount of information about classical figure painting. This was my first brush with the sight-size method, which we used to locate proportions and evaluate our paintings in relation to the model from several feet back. I also found a new tool - a black mirror to reduce reflected light and enable an artist to better judge relative values.

I think the biggest learning for me was the emphasis on shadow shapes and half-tone shapes as a way to simply and effectively describe form. The workshop also uncovered my weakspots in judging values and my tendency to narrow forms, giving me much to work on to improve my drawing and painting.

I greatly appreciated the hour-and-a half morning lecture and demo each day. We spent the full week on a single painting. Having this much time with a live model in a single pose was a luxury. Here is my resulting painting.


Julie Devine, Figure Study, 2011
Oil on linen, 27" x 15"