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In The Making


When Jack Becomes Art

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18x24"
Oil on canvas
I was originally going to do this as a small painting but thought it would be more impressive as a larger piece.  Painting reflective and translucent surfaces are always a challenge because of the distortions and warped imagery they produce. 
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Detail
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Detail
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Detail
Painting chrome is another one.  I like painting these types of surfaces.  This painting took some time to do because I had to break down my studio at two different times to have our wooden floors replaced due to a moisture problem which caused a lot of damage.  But I finally got it done!
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Background laid in.
When I started this painting I washed in a raw sienna ground for the base over my penciled rough.
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3/4's there.
This painting was at a good size so I had to do a lot of rotating while using a maul for support.
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Working on the last 4th.
Here I'm working on the final stages.

Blondie

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I’ve been staring at this drawing for about six or seven months and finally got around to painting it.  Blondie passed in June of 2012 leaving a pretty big hole in our hearts.  I was trying to figure out how to render the background.  Either I render it as a detailed backdrop or a vignette of some sort. 
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Then I saw a figurative painting in which an artist used a palette knife to lay in the background and I had my “a-ha“ moment.  So here it is and I’m happy with the outcome.
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This time around I did a Burnt Siena acrylic wash to set up my under painting.
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Using a palette knife I painted in the background.
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Laying in color to her torso and legs.
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The initial pencil drawing with several coats of spray fixative.
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A mixture of turps and burnt Umber were scrubbed into the canvas and then wiped off with a paper towel.
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Here I started in setting up my shadows and at this stage painting in Blondie’s face.
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Adding some finishing touches and details.





Relic The Profile

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The first time I saw the bust of this Indian head I’ve wanted to paint a portrait of it. 
It was an artifact a friend of mine had in his home.

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A piece he brought back from one of his many trips, over the years, to India.  I was able to sit in and do a few studies of it, as well as, take a few photos for further reference to use later. 
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Here’s the final pencil sketch in all of its glory.
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Nice and swirly…
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Initial Rub out ala “Flemish”…
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 I started the under painting late on Friday evening after I finished my Pencil work.
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Here it is getting the full mud treatment of burnt umber and turps…
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Evened out …
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Working on the final color stage.

On The Side

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Here's a quick peak at my studio setup.  Nice, tight and cramped.  More like a cell.
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This one I'm still discovering and have been wrestling with in terms of how I am going to finish.  It's still in a fluid state with this one.  The Indian in the middle will be revised due to the fact that I just don't like how he turned out facially.  I don’t think his features are working out for me.  We’ll see in a later update how this will manifest it its final state.

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This is a portrait I’m doing of our pit bull Blondie.  She passed away in June of ’12.  Real heart breaker.

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This painting has been sitting in a backseat of sorts.  It’s in its final stages though.


All images Copyright © Maurice F. Morgan II, 2011-2014  All rights reserved.
Any duplication, distribution or use without written permission is prohibited and a violation of applicable law.
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