"Present"

"Present"
Oils on Panel
10" by 10"

About a month ago a favorite artist of mine, Kimberly Kelly Santini, post a challenge to paint from the same photo (taken by a friend of hers) as she had already painted from on her Facebook page. The dog's pose (Zevon) is both visually powerful and intriguing because of its ambiguity. I was curious to see how I could make the image my own. I went through my Pinterest portrait art board to remind myself of what in a portrait makes me want to explore it and delved into Stanka Kordic's website for inspiration in creating a mood or sense of atmosphere and then the painting commenced. After I completed it I had to wait about a month for it to be dry enough to get a good photo and got it in to the challenge right under the wire. It was an ideal way to play with ideas in paint. I greatly appreciate Kimberly Kelly Santini for sharing her inspiration. And I appreciate her Facebook followers kind comments! She says she plans on doing more art challenges and I look forward to them!

"Twinkling"

"Twinkling"
8" by 8"
Oils on Gessoed Panel

A Loving Reminder

I have found that painting a portrait of a person I love is invaluable. Not only because I end up with a keepsake and record of at least one way I see that person, maybe even a portfolio piece, but because it always reminds me not to get too attached to photo reference. When I know and love a person, I have seen them in almost every possible lighting and expression, I have that visual knowledge to draw upon. Using that knowledge of a face or person I know well shows me that no matter how good the photo reference, it can't give me that full understanding to work with. Painting a loved one is a reminder not to be complacent when creating a likeness.

Finding Personality

So, how does this apply to portraits of people I don't know, or at least not as well? You might assume that knowing the difference in the painting experience might be disheartening to me when I approach a more distant subject, but in fact it helps me remember that I am not copying a photograph, but capturing something indescribable in other ways through my art. One way I can do that is just by having more than one photograph to work from, so I can see different aspects of that person. If I have met the person in real life I can think of my impression of them and how the light changed their face. And, lastly, I can pick up on some detail of expression that the photograph shows me, but play it up or find my interpretation of a bit of who they are through that detail and unravel it in my work.

"Twinkling"

In case you are wondering, the photo above is a likeness of my beautiful Mom. The paint is still wet, as this painting is freshly completed today. I'll get a nice, clear straight on photo of this painting after it dries. For now, I hope you enjoy this glimpse into my process.


P.S. If you are interested in commissioning a portrait, pepper me with questions at ambergoulet@yahoo.com.

"Bun in the Oven"

"My Bun in the Oven"
Graphite and Photoshop
October 2014

I have been working on an important creative project of sorts for several months now. I'm expecting! This has very much influenced my art since I found out, from dealing with bad morning sickness to sussing out non-toxic options for my art materials so it made sense to finally share my pregnancy here. So you may be getting more info on how I've worked with being pregnant and creating in the coming months. Above is the quick illustration I created back in October to break the news to a dear friend.


P.S. If you are interested in commissioning an announcement illustration like this for yourself, email me at ambergoulet@yahoo.com.