RoR: Forum

Michael -- Very nice piece! Thanks for posting it and good luck on the exhibit!

Post 1

Friday, March 24, 2006 - 5:11pm

She's gorgeous! I loooooove her hands!

I couldn't get the other images on the gallery site to open in larger scale :(

Good luck, Michael.

Post 2

Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 1:55pm

Thanks Ed and Teresa,

It was crowded and fun and quite a few of interesting young artists...I don't think non-artists have any understanding how extremely exceptional and difficult creating a career in art is. One beautiful 25-year old has her art college debt over her head, she is working three nanny jobs, she would need to go back and get her masters to teach art, and she is painting inside the cracks of time.

It is no wonder that few do realism, they literally have no time to do so--hahahah, two weeks ago I was a hopeful hour away from finishing a piece, just the right touches/marks and I would be done, I have been working full-time on it for these two-weeks, and I am still just a few marks away--but they have to be the right marks.

I just priced out some of my work, and on several pieces I am making half what I paid the model! hahahahah, that is frightening!

Cheers,

Michael

P.S. Teresa, thanks for the observations and the site works fine now in Explorer and Firefox, I don't have a Mac---let me know how it works.

Post 3

Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 10:10pm

Michael, great piece, She's gorgeous! I loooooove her hands too! lol
Bravo!

(Edited by Ciro D'Agostino on 3/25, 10:11pm)

Post 4

Sunday, March 26, 2006 - 8:45am

The breasts look fantastic!

Post 5

Monday, March 27, 2006 - 10:50am

"One beautiful 25-year old has her art college debt over her head, she is working three nanny jobs, she would need to go back and get her masters to teach art, and she is painting inside the cracks of time."

Those last words are poignant, Michael.

One day I will be able to afford your paintings (well, one or two maybe). Till then, I remain, in admiration, a fan.

regards

John

Post 6

Monday, March 27, 2006 - 1:01pm

Michael can you please give us a little description of the above nude.?

Post 7

Monday, March 27, 2006 - 1:14pm

John, be concentrate more on what you were doing few months ago,e.i. writing nice articles, and I promise that I will buy a Newberry's for you. :-))
And, don't forget that we have yet to have a toast to our reciprocal admiration.
Ciro

Post 8

Monday, March 27, 2006 - 1:59pm

Ciro: John, be concentrate more on what you were doing few months ago,e.i. writing nice articles, and I promise that I will buy a Newberry's for you. :-))

Hey, Ciro, is that offer open to everyone; how many articles do I have to write for the free painting?

Suppose I choose Venus as the painting I want; does that mean I have to write War and Peace?

George

Post 9

Monday, March 27, 2006 - 3:16pm

Hey George,
Write your War and Peace and you won't need Ciro to buy you Venus, which, by the way, is still unfinished last time I checked...;-)

Post 10

Monday, March 27, 2006 - 3:17pm

Ciro you put a smile on my face for the first time today.

I suspect the pleasure of actually meeting Newberry, and making the purchase myself, would be sublime. The art I own has been given to me, by either the artist or friends. I have purchased the odd piece but nothing *really* special. I anticipate that *special* purchase, and the taking it home, hanging it, then sitting with a scotch just...soaking it in...

regards

John

ps

Cordero has more expensive tastes than me so watch out...

Post 11

Monday, March 27, 2006 - 3:47pm

Thanks everyone.

The nude is a pastel color study, on red paper (!), for a oil portrait I have not started yet. She is 17 x 24".

I worked with a live model, about 45 hours...a paid model.

On purpose, I was playing off da Vinci, Raphael; thinking of their Madonnas...with a beautiful landscape behind. Here the twist comes in by adding red paper into the mix and a very complex color theory combined with my sense of working with pastel. The light theory for this has two contrasting yet complimentary perspectives (focuses): she is inside, lit by a hot light that gives warm colors to the highlights of her and the chair and window frame. The background, outside, is lit by the sun, here I have cooler tones highlights and warm tones for shadows. (Cooler colors are blues, greens, some violets; warmer colors are hot yellows, oranges, reds, magentas.)

The combo of the theory and the red paper is extremely radical for representational art.
Another twist on the Renaissance ideal, is the theme. I wanted to combine eroticism, the nestled breast; a sensitive longing, her hands above her heart, and shrewdness, the look and tilt of the head.

The work is available.

Cheers,

Michael

(Edited by Newberry on 3/27, 4:31pm)

Post 12

Monday, March 27, 2006 - 3:57pm

deleted .... don't ask why.
(Edited by George W. Cordero on 3/27, 4:15pm)

Post 13

Monday, March 27, 2006 - 5:30pm

JN:Ciro you put a smile on my face for the first time today.
I am happy to hear that, John.

Post 14

Monday, March 27, 2006 - 5:32pm

George, Hong gave you a perfect answer! lol

Post 15

Monday, March 27, 2006 - 6:04pm

Michael, just curious, why is it radical?

Post 16

Monday, March 27, 2006 - 7:59pm

John,

Thanks for the sentiment�that is my idea of art appreciation.

Joe asked: "... why is it radical?"

Representational fine art on a high level is very difficult; the complexity of integration is enormous. And any little fault will destroy the mood, light, anatomy, or many other things. Most of today�s classical realists use a muted light palette�soft warm tones and grayish shadows. They shy away from powerful color in their lights and darks because it makes the job of forming, for example, a delicate nostril mind-numbingly difficult.

The more the French Impressionists explored color theory the less they used realistic detail�Matisse�s Green Stripe.

Its common to see that the more realistic a painting is the less color in the light and dark.
Here is painting by Ingres, Louise de Broglie. I think you can see that there is refined detail but very little range of color.

Realists might paint a brilliant red shirt but normally they would not imbue it with the addition of brilliant oranges in the light part or magentas in the shadows.

Here I include an a painting of mine Pursuit,

I wish I had a close up detail of the face, she is in NY, I will take a photo of it the next time I visit her. But to toot my horn, her whole face is made of a large range of color from pure greens, reds, creams, yellow, and brilliant purple�more color range and play than the Matisse, as realistic as the Ingres, and a lot more light than either.

So to answer your question, integrating intense color theory with natural looking realism is radical.

Cheers,

Michael

(Edited by Newberry on 3/27, 8:04pm)

Post 17

Monday, March 27, 2006 - 9:23pm

Thanks, Michael. :)

Tuesday, March 28, 2006 - 8:51am

Joe,

Now I am curious. What did you understand from the above?

Michael

Post 19

Tuesday, March 28, 2006 - 9:12am