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How many artists journal about their art?  I have found it to be a great habit.  I don't journal every time I paint but if nothing else, I make notes about my artistic thoughts and color mixtures.   I stopped for a few years but this year I started back.   I often write about the feelings I am having at the moment - sometimes about life in general and other times just notes about the painting process.  If I have any profound thoughts or insights while painting, I will jot those down as well.  It is interesting and informative to go back and read these entries years later.  I recently had the opportunity to do so. 

The weather was quite nice last Saturday so I opened the studio windows and decided to go through the connecting storage room in search of an odd sized canvas and to clean up a bit.  In the process I came across a painting rendered many years ago for the local "Emulate A Master" show.  Finding this painting caused a flood of memories to come forward.  I brought the painting out where there was more light and just pondered it for a while.  Then I looked through my journals as I thought I remembered writing about this painting.   The journal entry began, "The windows are open and there is a soft breeze coming through the studio.  I am painting to a CD entitled "Albinoni Adagios."  I am excited about entering this show and having this challenge.  Having just seen several paintings by Artemisia Gentileschi at the Boboli Palace in Florence, she came to mind when deciding which artist to emulate.  I am also familiar with her story and the difficulties she faced as a female artist to which I can relate.  It is an easy decision to pay tribute to her by attempting to emulate her style yet still make the painting mine." 

At that moment a breeze blew in from my studio window and I decided this was a sign - I'll just make this my next blog!  I checked my computer and found the photos of the progression.  So...continuing from my journal notes and photos...

"I sketched the figure lightly in pencil and then decided to initially paint everything in gray scale using acrylic paint beginning with the face.
I'm finding it difficult because of the angle.  I want her to have a pleasant but "lost in her own world" look as Artemisia has portrayed St. Cecilia.  Right now she just looks sad and angry but at least she no longer looks scary! 

Then I started adding color in oil and lost the face again after all that effort but I'm also liking it better...

The rendering of light and shadow in the folds of the dress is very exciting.  I'm using different colors from Artemisia's "St. Cecilia Playing The Lute" and the lighting is a little brighter so it feels like I need more reflected light and variation of color...

and the finished painting

Now, looking at this painting years later and the progression photos, I actually like the second color progression above better than the finished painting.  At the time I don't think I knew when to stop - I just kept adding more and more detail.  I now prefer the softer less rigid lines.  I certainly did get a little obsessive with painting all of those folds in the dress - way too many!  I remember trying to get a particular look with the fabric, but it's too busy for my taste now.  This was the first thing that struck me when I found the painting.  That's all part of the evolution process as an artist.  Every painting is a learning experience - no failures.  Eventually you just start seeing things differently.  Down the road it can be interesting to view old works and consider the value of that rendering in its time and to also consider how we have progressed. 

While I didn't want to spend too much time doing this, I decided to quickly repaint some of the dress to take away some of the folds and add variation of color in the skirt.  It needs a little more of the same, but for the purpose of this blog, I wanted to show how it helped the painting to just simplify a few areas. 

Artemisia was an Italian Baroque painter and today considered one of the most accomplished painters

in the generation following that of Caravaggio.  Although female painters were not

easily accepted during this period, she was the first woman to become a member

of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence in 1616.

Artemisia Gentileschi

1593-1656

"St. Cecilia Playing The Lute"