Grace
Inspired by the bravura, fluency, and economical technique of Spanish painter Diego Velázquez, I asked a friend to sit for a 4 hour portrait. This is an oil painting on a large (24x30”) canvas, completed from life. The larger the image, the more space there is for information (and hence likeness). Grace and I have many mutual friends, we bump into each other at parties etc. She replied to my newsletter recently, and that led to this painting. Grace posed for several hours, while we chatted, ate, drank, laughed, silenced, painted, and made our way from acquaintance to friendship. She knitted the jumper too 💚👌🏻. How jolly nice 🤩
See how varnish brings an oil painting to life
Grace in situ after a lovely day together
I tried to capture Grace's spirited warmth. The light bounced up from her homemade jumper to the underside of her chin and neck.
This pose was four hours, with three breaks in between
I love the sunlight on Grace's slipper. In this area (and throughout the portrait) you can see areas of the underpainting showing through. For a more polished look I would cover most of these, but for an informal feeling they can be left in. Because the underpainting has the correct tonal value (dark/lightness), it doesn't jar being left. Many painters such as Rembrandt used this effect - I feel it adds luminosity
Photo of Grace as she was posed