self portrait, 20" x 16", oil on panel (in progress)
Having covered my ill fated use of turpentine with a layer of Burnt Umber a few days earlier, I began by using the same turpentine to strip away the now dry layer that masked my mistake. I removed just enough to see the dark landmarks underneath, then let it dry again.
The next day I had intended to paint the lit areas of my face and give the shadows a rest. Starting with the transitional areas between the light and dark, the mixture I made (using Flake White, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Red Light, Chromium Oxide Green and Cadmium Orange) didn't seem to fit quite as well as I had hoped. I was trying to be a little too fancy I think and despite what I wanted to do, I knew I simply hadn't built enough support for the lit areas yet - and so I went back again.
Using Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Alizarin Crimson and Ultramarine Blue (in different combinations) I began modeling wet into wet (so much for the thin, indirectly painted darks). This is actually how I was trained to paint - wet into wet. Sometimes you just have to fall back on what you know to keep moving forward and this felt like one of those times.
Modeling the darks was not easy given the lighting I have in which to work and the reflection off the wet paint didn't help, but it sure was fun. I'll have to revisit the shadows again as that side of my face looks droopy, but I'm still rather pleased with the (re)turn in the right direction.
Click on the image if you want to see a larger version.
