I attempt a Nerdrumesque painting
Here is my painting "The Wanderer," which I completed while I was in my old studio downtown. I painted it in oils on a piece of Clabord. My friend Thomas posed for it: he has a wonderful profile. The head is about life-sized on the board.
The hat is one the my husband, Ken, made to wear under his armor (we play around in the SCA, which is sort of like an amateur Ren Faire). The collar and cape are also bits of old costumes I had lying around. I really want to make some more costumes just for my paintings but find myself wondering if it will take up too much time. That's why I've decided not to do any more pretend medieval period art for the forseeable future: it's just a waste of time. Oh, the walking stick he's holding is one we've had for years, too. It came from the back of the old house in Brainerd, and it's twisted all the way up, but you can't see it in this picture.
I wish I could have painted a full-length painting of this subject, and I still want too. But it was such a struggle to even paint something this size. I need to paint something enormous. Positively enormous. I've spent so much time painting tiny things, tiny things with a smooth surface, which translate well to print. I realized at the gallery yesterday that huge works impress the in-person viewer much more.
Last night I went into my studio and poked around until I found the length of linen I bought on sale at Jerry's a couple of years ago. I've got to get it out and stretch it.