This is a charcoal drawing I did as a concept sketch for my next painting. Still working with the idea of Comfort, this piece will be about embracing. Often an embrace is pictured with two people in a hug. But I wanted to capture the idea with just a single figure. When I think of being embraced, enwrapped, cuddled, and snuggled in comfort, I think of a warm, soft blanket. I want her to have a look of appreciation and familiarity more than a relief from fear or struggle. I'm having fun with the charcoals. I'm not spending the time on them that I do with the paints, but just playing with them again is fun!
Warmth
This is the first painting in a series I am going to do on the concept of Comfort. To me, comfort is warm. When I think of warm comfort I think of standing outside with my face to the sun. Today it's raining outside. I can hear the drops pelting the skylight in my studio and it reminds me of some of the old farm buildings when I was child. The sound makes me feel cold even though the temperature inside is very comfortable. And yet, I can look at her and see her embracing the light and warmth of the sun and suddenly I feel warm again. Many people have a "happy place" in their mind that they can go to when life gets stressful, and it can help them calm down. While this isn't really a place, it is an image that can bring a sense of warmth and comfort when life gets hard.
Profile
A profile is a view of something from only one side. Today my subject got a profile. She has her face to the light and is soaking up the warmth of the sun. But there's more to her than just this one side. And yet, that's all we'll get to see.
How often do we see only one side of a person? How often do we create a profile in our minds of what a person is? I'm working on getting to know people more fully and accepting them as a whole person rather than just certain aspects of them. This isn't always possible. So I try to remember that everyone is a whole person whether I can see all of them or not. I guess this has become important to me because I want others to see me in the same way.
Canvas Covered
I took yesterday's charcoal drawing and am making it into a painting. I chose a 16" x 20" canvas this time. I've been working on 8" x 10" canvas boards for paintings that are more for exercise and whim. But I want to turn this into a series of paintings focusing on the idea of comfort. Today I got the canvas covered with an underpainting. I left all of the edges soft so that I can make adjustments as I go along. Things will change, but I have a starting place. My heart is speaking to me in this one. I'm excited.
Beach Cherub
Well, here she is at last... my hot babe on the beach... my bathing beauty... my cute little beach cherub. I do love children. To me they represent innocence, hope, potential, purity, meekness, and joy. I love to hold a child's hand, play with a child's feet, and answer every single "why" they can come up with. Painting them, apparently, is no different. I have thoroughly enjoyed every child I've painted. I may have to stick to this genre...