Monday, May 23, 2011

April Delayed til June


April in SoVA, acrylic in progress, 30x24
 April weather in southern Virginia was beautiful; we sat on our front porches as the irises bloomed.  That's the month I started this painting and expected to be finished in a few days.  I really wanted her feet to be included but there was that voice as I began painting the head:  "Make her larger, make her larger."

Maybe I spent too much time sitting on the porch or, maybe I spent too much time "arting around" with this.  April is running a bit behind schedule.

Early sketch--I think I know her.
 

I don't know this person;
I was thinking of Picasso exhibit.
 
Drawn on running-out-of-ink print; she looks familiar.


Don't recognize this one--really low on ink.
I think of Frances Bacon's cross-legged self portrait.

Don't know her but I like this one....
she might actually have a pet rooster.
 Company is arriving for the Memorial Day weekend; I won't be back at the easel until June.  I have no idea what the final April will look like--now I'm thinking about an August painting.

I have begun putting my name on works posted here because I've seen some in Google images--and not always attributed to my blog.
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25 comments:

  1. RobinMay 23, 2011 at 8:17 PM

    It's wonderful to see the way you work. How did you get your name "stamped" inside the images? I think when the painting is ready to get done, it will get done. What's the rush?

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  2. hw (hallie) farberMay 23, 2011 at 9:21 PM

    Hi Robin. I photograph my work and edit using Picasa (free from Google) which allows me to add text. Then I save them to a smaller size. I usually take lots of side trips to paintings. At some point I have to stop playing and finish (& the painting will probably not look like any of these).

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  3. Celeste BerginMay 23, 2011 at 11:23 PM

    Cool! It is great to see the different sketches. I admire that you give the process a lot of thought and consideration. I was taught to just get to it and paint things directly all at once.. so now I am also interested in trying your style (painting in stages) for myself. It looks like April will be another provocative Farber painting...looking forward to seeing the next phase.

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  4. -DonMay 24, 2011 at 4:07 AM

    Thanks for sharing this work in progress. It's fun to peek into the thinking processes of another artist. I've got a feeling that even when you're sitting on your porch you're still 'arting around'.

    Too bad about having your work lifted and not being credited. Idiots!

    Have fun with your company this weekend.

    -Don

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  5. Autumn LeavesMay 24, 2011 at 6:22 AM

    Hallie, I love the one with the hat and her expression is fantabulous in each and every one! Hoping you enjoy your company over the coming holiday weekend.

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  6. hw (hallie) farberMay 24, 2011 at 9:17 AM

    Hi Celeste. We all want to paint like you paint! I spend too much time playing around--not the best way to get things done.


    Don, I guess you're right. Even when talking with neighbors on the porch I'm checking out railings and irises and trees. Then I grab pencils. I think that's true of everyone who paints.


    Thanks AutumnLeaves. I'm trying for a certain head-held-high, smirky expression

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  7. JaneMay 24, 2011 at 12:05 PM

    Sometimes sitting on a porch in contemplation can lead to great inspiration, and you are well on your way. Love all your small sketches...and your comments . xx

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  8. Carole ReidMay 24, 2011 at 12:17 PM

    Hallie, thanks for the images of your workings. It's interesting to see. Playing around is good for the soul and can lead to amazing things.
    Enjoy your company!

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  9. Donna Iona DrozdaMay 24, 2011 at 3:02 PM

    What a delight to leaf through your 'sketchbook' and to listen to the way you talk to yourself...I agree with Don...the artist's eye is always drinking in the world...

    no hurry no worry...I look forward to seeing more of your Picasso influences...it was such a glorious collection wasn't it...I'm still high.

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  10. hw (hallie) farberMay 24, 2011 at 4:01 PM

    Hi Jane. I'm afraid I sit on the porch too much; I've had to spend the last couple of days shoveling out the house--getting ready for the visit from the family; I haven't seen the grandchildren in two years.


    Thanks Carole. I will enjoy the company as you get ready for your art show. Today I carried heavy framed art show paintings from their temporary storage place in the guest house to my upstairs. Ugh--my aching back.

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  11. hw (hallie) farberMay 24, 2011 at 4:09 PM

    Hi Donna. There was a contest between feet and canvas-filling body; body won every time. Had she kept her feet and been smaller, she might have become lost among the railing and fence. I loved the way Picasso painted flat figures and lots of lines--what an exhibit. I'm still enjoying the catalog.

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  12. AnonymousMay 24, 2011 at 10:55 PM

    Sorry I'm late Hallie. I tore up the bathroom sink yesterday and have been a little out of sorts. The good news is we got to see our plumber who hasn't been by in quite some time.

    Anyway, when I first saw your painting in progress, I thought of course of Miss Lulu! I'm not sure Miss Lulu would sit naked on the porch, but her crazy sister would.
    Thank you so much for sharing your process. For an artist like myself, that aspect of your work helps more than you know. So often I see works that are complete and as beautiful as they are, I'm left wondering what it's all about and how the artist got from point A to point G.
    With you, I'm clued in. I feel involved, I get a sense of understanding.
    I love this now and I know I'll love it whenever you get done.
    Enjoy your company. I'll be at work, which is sometimes easier, but not near as soul expanding.

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  13. hw (hallie) farberMay 25, 2011 at 12:21 PM

    Hi Pam. Never doubt that everything you do is soul expanding. Who knows--tearing up a sink might lead to sculpting. I was reminded of Miss Lulu after I began working on this. (Maybe the rooster who chased me when I was little always lurks in the back of my mind.) Luckily, I've known characters (from North and South) who would sit naked on the porch.

    There are many ways of getting from A to G; whatever method works is the right one at the time. Thanks for the comment.

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  14. lifeartistMay 25, 2011 at 2:57 PM

    I love the fact the she just happens to be sitting on the porch naked with a pet rooster! Happens everyday all the time! The whole series of studies, drawings, paintings makes me smile.

    Enjoy your grandchildren and play with the painting after they go home. It will happen when it happens.

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  15. hw (hallie) farberMay 25, 2011 at 4:12 PM

    Hi lifeartist (Davida). Maybe I can convince the neighbors on my street to sit nude on the porches one afternoon--we've talked about seceding from the town. I thought about you when I was sketching this because you do those great, voluptious, comfortable-in-their-own-skins nudes. This woman needs attitude.

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  16. Harry KentMay 27, 2011 at 4:43 AM

    Roster of chook, cause it looks very comfortable in those arms which curve round our self-possessed bird into a kind of nest. And i love that final painting.

    I know you plan to do more to it, Hallie, but it's the absences that makes it thought-provoking. Love the flat treatment of the railing and fence and area of green. No face and that flat treatment lends a sort of surreal air, like a Magritte. Love it.

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  17. hw (hallie) farberMay 27, 2011 at 8:56 PM

    Thanks Harry. You might have hit upon my reason for not finishing. I haven't quite figured out how to combine the flat parts I like with the figure I keep sketching. I'm a bit stuck with my sculptor past--seeing things "in the round." I love Magritte's work.

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  18. Dan KentMay 27, 2011 at 10:05 PM

    You are off to a great start! I love the background grasses. And the whole concept is, as always, wholly original and interesting. And there is something compelling about no feet. Don't know what it is..

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  19. hw (hallie) farberMay 27, 2011 at 10:55 PM

    Hi Dan. Well, the comments are more interesting than the blog. Now I wonder if she should be levitating. Thanks.

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  20. EvaJune 8, 2011 at 7:05 PM

    Thanks for sharing your sketches and planning process. It reminds me why I rarely paint realistically any more, I'm too lazy!! Of course your piece is as wonderfully unique as are all of your great art!

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  21. hw (hallie) farberJune 9, 2011 at 10:05 PM

    Thanks, Eva. I don't know where this will end up--she keeps changing.

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  22. Celeste BerginJune 24, 2011 at 1:17 AM

    Hallie! put up a new post ...a picture of you in a cardboard box will suffice! lol! I miss PAMO...do you?

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  23. hw (hallie) farberJune 24, 2011 at 5:06 PM

    Thanks Celeste. I got lazy and sidetracked. I do miss Pamo and her comments.

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  24. weekend et coup de brosseJune 25, 2011 at 10:43 AM

    c'est vraiment un très beau travail Hallie !
    bon week-end.
    cath.

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  25. hw (hallie) farberJune 25, 2011 at 2:01 PM

    Thank you, Cath.

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