Oil Portrait Study from Life

(left) "Stevan"
Oil, 10"x8"
©2014 Diana Moses Botkin

I'm still catching up on adding finishing touches to paintings I started awhile ago. If you're an artist, you probably know what I mean when I say there are pieces sitting in my studio waiting.... either to be finished, painted over, or thrown in the fire.

That last choice is usually out of frustration from ruining a painting by working on it too much or trying to finish without good references. Or simply because it was terrible.

This is one I did in OKC last fall at Geatches. I was able to get a good likeness of our model during the Saturday morning Open Studio, but I needed to clean up a few areas. There were some scratchy brush marks that were distracting. Sometimes those can be useful, like the effect in hair edges, and Stevan's unshaved jaw. Since I didn't have a reference photo to use for touching up the painting later, I kept my additions to a minimum.

It is not uncommon for Open Studio policy to be no photos allowed. Unless the model will pose after the session for a quick snap, that's the way it is.

I really miss the Open Studio sessions in OKC, and also in Scottsdale. The group in my area is a bit of drive and sessions can be hit and miss.

Open Studio means that anyone can join in, working from live models. Model fees are reasonable, models are professional and able to hold poses, and the camaraderie is a welcome change from working alone. There is no instruction at these sessions but it is fun and often educational seeing what the other artists draw or paint.