Homage © Britt Conley

Sitting in the corner of my foyer are three 4×6 foot paintings that are currently readied for transport to my sister’s place.  She’s storing them for me for a while.  They are all in progress.  This particular work is actually a small 2 ft area of a life size 4×6 ft. portrait of my father.  It is the painting I’ve strategically placed on the wall behind him.  The original was done by my grandfather and the man who taught me everything that mattered to him about creating.  I’ll never forget the moment he pierced into my eyes and said, “You have it”  I knew what he meant and yet it felt like he was actually puncturing me with what ever “it” was, within that look. I’m pretty sure any artistic  talent would have made him jump for joy : )

He’s passed on now and never saw any of my adult work.  He did however mentor me from the earliest age and not with the standard here’s how you do this and that.  He gave me his treasured secrets, concepts ways to see and feel the stroke.  He knew I understood before I did.  He taught me that being fearless was my greatest gift, during the time the world was trying to tame it out of me.  My presence in his studio made him truly happy which makes me honestly smile.  He was one of the great unknown chess players… his brother was world renowned.  He beat his brother all the time but didn’t want to travel the world playing tournaments, he wanted to be a painter.  We’d play chess and checkers all the time.  Chess, cribbage, canasta and checkers were the family games.  Funny how we never played backgammon, which I now love.  He was also card shark.  He taught me all (well, most of them, he was better at math) of his card tricks as well, much to the chagrin of my father.  We were two trouble makers bonding over everything.  There was a lot of winking going on.  One of the cool things about him is that he graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in six months.  They said there was nothing left to teach him.  That doesn’t surprise me at all.  I will never be as good as he was, but I’ll be me and only me and I think he would think that is better.  This is not one of his bolder works but it’s one of the ones I enjoyed and wanted to incorporate the geometrics in with mine for the painting.

He had a really bad habit of taking a knife to all the works he didn’t like and I never understood that until I became a painter.  And low and behold, if it’s not done and can’t be completed… no one is going to see it.  Out of it’s frame it goes and shredded it becomes.  It’s called standards.  Well, anyway, this semi blurry (badly photographed), section of the much larger painting is my homage to him.  I wanted one work with my father sitting in front of his father’s work, painted by his daughter.  I’ll post the image in full when it’s closer to completion.

On the left, a crop of my father’s painting.  These are still the early layers and this is a severed crop from the full painting, but, it shows one of my great loves in portraiture: designing furniture and clothes.  I redesigned the actual bench he was sitting on. I’ll be doing the collar next. The one you see with the tie is just a place holder so I know the general reality of the original.  But I like to futz with things and collars are one of those things.  The other is noses : ) The painting to the right of this is of my friend Kevin.  I designed his collar and the chair he sits in as well and I guess his hands and face ; ).  Some day I hope to actually make the furniture I envision and have it in my home.  Well, it’s nearly 4 am and I have to go to work in the morning so there is tonight’s update.  I’m feeling much better by the way.  I think I’m finally settling back down.

Britt : )

This particular option seems the way to go. Unlike the other works, this one took no time at all.  It’s still half realistic and half not, still geometric… (don’t know what my obsession is with geometrics but it permeates me), and I get to work freely and large with scenes in coffee shops or stage and studio life with friend’s bands.  Of course the fun thing about this style is the endless color opportunities and the freedom to sing.  The other works are far more constrained in the creation, although I do love their outcomes. This particular work is of a friend from my previous work life.  He was kind enough to pose for me, not once but twice.  The piece measures 36 x36 inches.

When envisioning a painting I always try to infuse an underlying essence that elevates the feel of the person’s persona. People tend to think this piece is about hope.  I wanted to capture that extraordinary exacting moment when a idea becomes fully actualized, three dimensional and all but done.  That stunning moment when an idea is suddenly spinable and envisioned with ease.  Depicting eyes of hope, require an underlying sadness, or place one is coming from, where as capturing potential is all about being impelled toward something greater.  In music it’s about pushing yourself not just to be on top of the beat but driving the feel of the beat so that you are out in front of it, like your surfing the front of a wave crest that pushes the listener into the next more settled transition.  To me that is how you capture potential and that moment where all things are possible.

Mr. Russell © Britt Conley

Britt : )

painting © Britt Conley

Been toggling between three canvases this week and really enjoying the process.  I love the hyper-focus of problem solving.  Turning, twisting and reconfiguring when technical or aesthetic obstacles arise.  Painting allows me those moments of  having to rise to the occasion.  It expands my thought processes past all expectations just to meet and greet each stage.  I lay my brain open to envision, fill and process while simply visualizing.

I’m not the kind of person who need to physically see the actuality of a “real world” thing in order to envision it.  There has never been a time that I haven’t been able to envision any color, shape or line in situ at my disposal.  Imagining a vase in blue or red or lit differently comes as naturally to me as  breathing.  Everyone once in a while I may pre-jot one across a canvas and step back but only as confirmation check before I make is so.  And generally that is when the work is nearly complete and it only needs that one last division of space.

So it’s always a surprise when I find unexpected turns in the creation of a particular piece, despite that this seems like a regular event – LOL.

The other day I went to paint my background blue and found that the paint itself was not lending itself to the glazing medium.  It just became too ‘streaky’. I couldn’t go opaque because this paint layer needs to be translucent.  Despite looking through most of my blues for one that would tolerate the effect, I was at a loss.  But then, as often is the case in the creative process, a tube of yellow caught my eye.  After pulling it out, my eyebrow raised and there it was, the answer :  metallic gold.  This color is not only translucent, it shimmers and shakes! I set out  a dab out and watched it glisten.

This work is still in it’s early phases, but it’s a whole new fun being had. : )

Britt

Unfinished portrait © Britt Conley

Well, we all know how hard I was hit last year.  2010 is almost the year that never was.   It seems all I managed to do was heal from surgery and deal with all those losses and then top it off with that darn kidney stone.  LOL  Well, enough is enough.  I’ve made my resolutions.  Unlike most, once I’ve made a decision I tend to stay steadfast with it until it’s completion.  This year I am finishing those unfinished portraits.   Today I spent about five hours painting over the previous version of the portrait below.  Being that its wet, this is all I can do today.  The rest will have to wait until later in the week when all is dry again.  These are the black and white or grisaille  under-layers.  I will add the color glazes once the work is all but complete in monochrome. These first layers are soft and undefined.  I get more sharp edges and details and the next few months of layers emerge.  It’s a process when you work wet on dry.  The sitter is pregnant in this work and will have a lovely semi-transparent dress on when all is done.  I know what it will look like but it is far from that vision now. But this is a great structural start and a-painting-I-shall-go.

Britt : )

Portrait in process © Britt Conley

I had a great five hour painting session last night on my last remaining painting commission.  But alas it has to dry.  So today I began my New Years Resolution to finish the last six portraits of friends of mine.  This one is no where near done but I signed it anyway so that I could show it a while back.  I know, never show an unfinished painting,  but the show was strictly friends and family : ) I actually thought it would be interesting for people to see the process.  Well, I find it interesting.  I am in the middle of putting on a thin gauze  white wash around the background.  Once dried it gets a lovely glaze of blue.   The Orange on the shirt gets an lovely overglaze of grey which will give it a warm grey to offset what will be a cool grey blue shirt once it also is fully glazed.  The foreground will also be colored over.  I spend my initial time on a work, calculating out the structure and use color as an underlaying map.  Then I glaze in the final layers atop.  It will be lovely when done.   There will also be a softening of the foreground pants and shirt as well.  But that is all done nearer to the end of the process, as will another sitting of the subject for the details of character that come in at the end. I’ve been working on this for a couple of hours this evening and I can’t wait for it to dry.  Looks like the next round will have to wait for a few days as it dries.  ’Til then I can always draw : )

Britt

This has been a wonderful commission to work on.  First it’s my first paying commission that isn’t from a relative.  It’s my first finished commission. No wait, second.  The first was a dog portrait which was rather fun…

Black and White Commission © Britt Conley

I still have the one from my Aunt!  Doah.  She is now getting the full easle space as soon as this one gets varnished and sent packing.  Just a couple of weeks away.  I needed this commission.  I had a show once at my relatives and nothing sold.  My prices were probably too high, but I didn’t know.  They were what they should be for a year or two of work per piece.  I have had several years of consistent difficulties that have prevented me from painting full time or even part time.  Now that I’m fully laid off, almost fully healthy from it all and fully happy I am able to “finish” the works I love.  And thank the Gods for the person who asked me one day If I could do a portrait of them in my geometric style and with cart blanch for the concept and creation.  I won’t be getting a lot for the work – money wise,  but, what this person gave me in self esteem and push is worth all the money in the world.  I can now say I am an artist.  Not a closet painter when I have the time.

I am heading onto to finish my Aunt’s piece and the other six non-commissioned pieces that I had sitters for.  I am sure now that they will all be done – Finally.  And then the next series, which is already in my eyes.

Britt : )