On portraits and attributes

Jessica, 60 x 80 cm, acrylic on canvas, ©2007 Julie Galante.

I’ve been thinking a lot about attributes recently. In portraiture, an attribute is an object included to help the viewer identify the subject, or to communicate something about the subject. Artists’ self portraits often include paint brushes or a palette, for example. Catholic saints are often recognizable because of their attributes, such as St. John the Baptist’s hairy cloak or the many arrows poking through St. Sebastian’s body. In traditional portraiture, a scholarly lady might be depicted with her hand on a stack of correspondence, a sailor with his arm resting atop a giant anchor. Attributes can be subtle or obvious, literal or symbolic.

Jen, 40 x 50 cm, oil on canvas, ©2010 Julie Galante.

While strolling through the academic portraits in Munich’s Neue Pinakothek recently, I started thinking about how I could incorporate attributes into my own work. With few exceptions, my portraits tend to depict the subject alone and out of context. I rarely include a distinguishable background, and even clothing details are usually left out. If I were to set out to include this traditional part of portraiture in my new paintings, how would I do it? Would I be literal, choosing an object from the subject’s daily life? Would I let my subjects choose their own attributes, or would I assign them myself? Would I make these attributes about description, aspiration, or something else entirely?

What if I just chose the object that a person spends the most time with? For many of us in today’s world, that would end up being a piece of technology: a cell phone, a laptop, an ipod. But even for those most connected to their devices of choice, would this be the item you chose to define yourself? Could an ipad be symbolic of something more noble or abstract, such as a love of learning, or games, or communication?

What about you? If I were to paint your portrait, what would your attribute be?

Tags: attributes, painting, portrait, portraiture, thoughts

Daily painting: self portrait, pink and purple

Self portrait in pink and purple, 30 x 30 cm, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante.

I didn’t set out to paint myself using mostly two colors, but somehow this is what I ended up with at the end of the afternoon. I haven’t decided yet if I’ll keep working on it or leave it as-is. The background is just blank canvas at the moment.

This painting was done from life, me staring at my reflection in a small mirror propped up on my art table next to my easel.

Tags: daily painting, oils, painting, portrait

Daily painting: quick portrait

Nani, oil on canvas board, 30 x 24 cm, ©2011 Julie Galante. [SOLD]

These days I’m mostly working on Munich scenes, trying to get several more paintings completed before my Open Studio at the end of the month. But no matter how hard I try to stay focused, I always crave variety in what I’m working on, so I’m still sneaking in a couple of daily paintings per week. For this one, a quick portrait modeled on the high school graduation photo of my grandmother, I used burnt sienna, white, and a brown mixed from various paints I was clearing off my palette.

Tags: daily painting, oils, painting, portrait

Portrait in progress: Emily on the tube

Em on the tube (in progress), oil on canvas, 70 x 50 cm.

For this portrait I’m working from a photo I snapped with my iphone while riding the tube in London with my friend Emily. The florescent lighting of the subway car combined with the flash from the iphone created a slightly eerie, strangely-colored image that I really wanted to play with. Plus the sassy one-eyebrow-raised look that Em was giving me was too good to pass up.

I’ve been working on this portrait in a combination of oil paints and oil sticks. I hadn’t worked with oil sticks (basically oil paint in stick form, so you can draw with it) in a long time, but I saw a set of Winsor & Newton oilbars on sale in an art shop in London, and Em talked me into getting them. It seems fitting that she gets to be my first subject, doesn’t it?

Tags: art supplies, oils, portrait, work in progress

Little portraits

Almost all of the portraits I’ve painted over the years are life size or larger. I like being able to paint in details without using teeny tiny brushes (also, my hand’s not particularly steady). » Read the full post

Tags: daily painting, oils, painting, portrait

Portrait: Tim

oil on canvas, 30 x 40 cm.

This was a commission for a dear family member, sent off this week. I hope it arrives safely.

Tags: oils, painting, portrait

Portrait: Jen

oil on canvas, 40 x 50 cm.

After I last shared this painting in progress, it started looking too similar to another recent portrait. To combat that, I decided to work with some different colors, especially in the face. I like taking creative liberty when it comes to skin tones.

Tags: oils, painting, portrait

Portrait in progress: Jen

Even when I’m not posting them here, I often take photographs of my works in progress as part of my process. Seeing a photo of a piece helps me evaluate it with different eyes and make decisions about where I need to go next.

In person, I was getting frustrated with this piece because it seemed to have reached a point where it contained way too many colors (and don’t worry, I know the red line on the chin has to go). That problem was so predominant in my mind that I was having trouble thinking about other aspects of the painting. Seeing the painting in a more compact form on the computer screen helped me see some changes I want to make in the hair highlights, for example. I still don’t have a clue what I’ll end up doing with the background, though. Any suggestions?

A couple weeks ago I shared another portrait in progress with you, of my friend Kim; the final version of that portrait is now up on my artist website (check it out in the portraits section).

What tools do you use to evaluate your works in progress?

Tags: oils, painting, portrait, work in progress

New portrait: Uwe

I’ve reached a stopping point on this one and I’m almost ready to declare it done. It’s painted on a canvas covered in roughly-applied, unsanded gesso, and at this point the image seems to fit the support. I’m happy with the texture.

Feedback welcome! There are a couple spots I think need tweaking, but it will be interesting to hear if they bother anyone else (or if you’re bothered by spots I haven’t even noticed yet). The few people who have seen it so far have remarked on the background lines that give the suggestion of a halo. I don’t set out to do it, but this happens a lot in the background of my portraits. I usually end up painting it out in the final version, but in this case I’m inclined to leave the circumscription in.

And just in case you’re wondering, the subject’s name, Uwe, is a somewhat common German name pronounced OO-vah (the “oo” kind of like that in “too”).

Tags: oils, painting, portrait

Portrait in progress: Kim

I’m starting to like where this one is going, although I need to figure out the background. Usually I leave the background rather abstract in my portraits. It’s the rendering of the face that interests me, but I need to care about the entire composition. The canvas is 50 x 60 cm.

Any suggestions?

Tags: oils, painting, portrait, work in progress