Artists and Model
I completed this painting last Friday, and there seems to be universal agreement that it is one of my best, knocking last June’s “In the Artist’s Studio” out of the top spot.  What makes it best is, I believe, the additional interest contributed by the figures in the background, and I surely do hope I did not go overboard in depicting them.  I was acutely aware of the need to not compete with the central figure of the model, and I therefore had intended to be much sketchier with the artist figures.  But, as happens so often to me, the painting wrested control from me.  So far, no one admits to thinking the background figures are too prominent.
As I laid it out for you last week: Â Tony is still the one on the far left, and Steve is the one across the room from me. Â Both of them started over on new works this week. Here is Steve’s, and after it is Tony’s–in paint this week (hurrah!):
Steve’s drawing
Tony’s painting
Continuing around the room counterclockwise, next is Fletcher’s painting, then Nita’s.
Fletcher’s painting (awesome knee!)
Nita’s painting
Heather was not with us this week; she was a casualty of the snowstorm we had the day before. Â Elizabeth couldn’t make it either, a worrisome thing;Â I hope you will eventually get to see some of her work.
I’ll keep it short and (hope-you-agree) sweet this last day of the year 2012. Â Happy New Year!
Aline Lotter is currently exhibiting:
at the Hatfield Gallery in Manchester (Langer Place, 55 S. Commercial St., Manchester, NH); at the Bartlett Inn in Bartlett; at the Red Jacket Inn in North Conway; Â at the Soo Rye Art Gallery in Rye NH;Â at her law offices at 41 Brook St in Manchester; and at her studio by appointment.
Paintings by Aline 
Good job. Love the concept … there’s REASON for her to be nude and posed! If you’re worried that the artists are too prominent, you could tone/gray down the highlights on both sketch pads and on Steve’s head … make them less white and they’ll fade right into the background.
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Wow! Your comment caused me to ponder (yet again) the essence of nudity in paintings. I could never understand why Manet’s “Olympia” was considered so riské in the late 18th century. Art had been full of nudity before. But all of previous artworks depicting nudity had a respectable or historical angle on the nudity. Olympia, on the other hand, was clearly waiting for a “John”(–not something I thought about when I first saw this painting, but I was innocent of such things then. Guess those Parisians were not so innocent.)
So maybe people are always looking for the story, always wanting the reason for the way the figure is depicted, whether costumed or naked. I have those moments myself, as when I painted “Dripping in Mink” and the nude leaning on what appears to be the handle of a shovel. But most of the time, I don’t think about any story behind it, except here is a person, unclothed, thinking, dozing, dreaming etc. and why not?
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I agree with Sharon – Why is she nude on a stand where people can see her? She is posing for artists, see above. It’s not something that occurs at anytime, anywhere but we understand that it is done and we recognize it. You complete the picture when you include Tony and Steve’s work. It makes more sense when they are not made less “prominent.”
Your error: including my work next to my colleagues’.
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Granted, your figure this week was not as eye-popping great as your two portraits from the preceding weeks, but what about that knee?
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The knee doesn’t do it for me.
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The two artists fit in really well and your level of emphasis for them is spot on. There is a nice quiet interplay between the three figures which makes a lovely composition. I am finding the green chair a bit too arresting as it is over on the side. It depends whether you want that level of daring, but I would be tempted to tone that colour down (luscious though it is)!
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You may be right about the green chair. I love that green chair and believe me, I toned it down considerably, bit by tiny bit. Maybe just a tiny bit more toning down is in its future. I’ll have to live with it for a while before deciding. Thanks for letting me know.
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It’s only an opinion, from an on-screen look! The chair is quite a character on that stage too. A friend suggested the tip of painting & cutting out a paper shape to trial on the canvas to aid decision making. For another painting, later!
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What an excellent idea! Stay tuned for results.
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Blimey O’Reilly, you’re a talented bunch. Really, very impressed by the whole group.
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