Fajoey

My third painting in Vancouver.

This is a portrait done from a photograph of a maintenance man that I met in Jamaica. He was very kind, and took care of the convent that I was at during my stay.


I still don't know to this day if "Fajoey" was his name; his accent was very thick and I had a hard time understanding him sometimes.

It's acrylic on canvas, measuring 11" by 14". It took me close to 6 hours to complete. The edges are painted black.

I'm not totally happy with the background - I find it a little too dark. I'm still learning this stuff though, so I can't have regrets about it. I'm sure someone somewhere likes it.

So Here's What I've Been Up To. . .

I've got it in my head that I can sell my paintings for a living, and will be giving it my best shot this summer.

The first painting that I finished here is on a warped canvas, so I can't sell it. This pains me slightly but I love it and want it for our apartment so. . . I can cope with the warped stretcher bars.
It measures 16" by 20" and is in acrylics. It took me about 20 hours to paint and I was very happy to see it finished.



Next I finished a smaller landscape of a military base that I visited in Jamaica. I've found a lot of photos of Jamaica (this being one of the less desireable ones) that I would love to paint. I'm going to be popping out today to get some larger canvases to do so. Everything that I've been reading strongly suggests having works of all sizes and a fair range in price so as to appeal to a wider audience. This makes a lot of sense to me.
This one is 8" by 10" and is also acrylic. This little guy only took about 5 hours, but I'm also not happy with a lot of it. The power lines, for example, are crap. There comes a point where you have to call something finished though, I suppose.


I'm loving using my studio-easel. It's really helping to ease any neck strain that I would normally have after 5 + hours of painting. It's a little clunky in our tiny apartment, but I'll have even more room when the weather gets really nice and our patio is set up - I'll be able to paint outside.

My Fish Salutes You

It was a lovely little fish.

Also, I'm working on another painting using this new-fangled technique. It's of my Grandmother. She will be in a rose garden. Still a lot of work to do!

Trying Something New

I've run into some visual difficulties with my current oil painting and decided to try a new technique with acrylics that I've been reading about. It's called glazing, and it's really bloody difficult. Lots of fun, but FSM help you if you screw up.
Basically it's very fine layering of paint, to create (more often than not) a believable skin tone. It's a lot like watercolour, except not quite as easy to make muddy. Although I did overwork it a bit (:ahem:) I'm still rather satisfied with the results. I learned a lot, and not only regarding acrylics. I would definately be more confident with watercolours after this. It was also my first time using masonite as a support. I gessoed it myself and managed to get that wrong too. Ah well. I know what not to do for next time.
I really enjoyed working on the masonite - It was very smooth and creamy to work on, unlike the textured canvas that I am used to. It was very inexpensive, though warped slightly after I gessoed it. I'm not sure how one would remedy this in future. Although I do love having a boxy canvas to hang on the wall sans frame, the masonite or a similar smooth wood surface does have a lot to offer. I may have to go for framed wooden supports in future (if my wallet allows).
I've also been hearing "varnish" a lot lately. I'm shocked that this never came up in school, and the fact that it didn't is only strengthening my argument that I'm learning more on my own time (so far this year my weekly expeditions to the local library has had a more bountiful harvest of new knowledge than all of last semester of school). I had never considered varnishing an acrylic painting, but I suppose it makes sense. Having never before worked with oils I hadn't heard about varnishing them either, but that makes even more sense still. I don't own varnish, I will have to get some.
For now, I am eager to try this glazing business again.

(The bottom photo is midway through the painting.)