"On Her Toes" is 5"W x 7"H, oil on linen over panel.  I started this a few weeks ago and only sketched in the figure. In an  afternoon, I painted the rest alla prima.  The model is Toni Czechorosky  who posed during an open figure studio at Randy Higbee's Gallery.  She  has become a good friend of mine and I will paint more of the ballet  dancer poses.  It is a subject I have wanted to paint for many years and  finally started.  This was sold in hours of posting it on Facebook to  another artist friend I have met from Randy's Studio sessions.  You can see here  the red oil wash sketch I began with. I find that if I paint in my subject this way, in diluted oil color, I  can manipulate the drawing to suit my needs for focal point and accuracy  of proportions, values and placement.  Once I am content or if I am  not, I continue to wipe away and redo until I feel it is ready to add  color.  The color painting process can alter the drawing, but nothing is  set in stone.  I was very pleased with this in the final completion.  
One more bit of information, I spent a month studying Edgar Degas and  how he painted the ballet dancer.  His paintings and statements inspired  me.  Although I knew of Edgar Degas for decades and admired all of his  works, I was sparked to paint this by the latest modeling session of the  above model as she dressed in Degas style ballet attire.  This was an  extra pose the model made while on a break and I shot the image.
I wanted to take up ballet as a young girl when I was spry.  My family  could not afford lessons, so I would just dance around the livingroom on  my tippy toes.  I think it stubbed my toe growth, I didn't wear the  proper ballet shoes.  Now, I can experience the magic of ballet by  painting the dancers.  More will be made!
Friday, June 11, 2010
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