Using my much-loved Taschen book on Frida, I decided to attempt this Frida self-portrait...
... called Thinking Abour Death, painted in 1943, which I thought was a very approprate topic for Holy Week...
I shared the beginnings of the process here for my first ever WOYWW post on Wednesday... Here's a close up of the first sketch...
And here's after I'd just finished painting the background and putting a light wash over Frida's face...
While I was getting the camera, Molly cat decided she wanted to investigate what I'd been doing... And you just cannot miss the green pawprints on Frida's decolletage... *sigh*
But if you have such a beautiful, inquisitive pussycat, you simply cannot be too precious about your artwork...
:)
Sadly, I'm not a skilled enough painter to know what to do with dark green splodges on a skin-coloured area, so I just had to leave it...
I used gouache for the background, because I love the strong pigmentation, and watercolour for Frida, for the subtle, blendable qualities, but once gouache hits the paper, that's it! It just doesn't budge...
*ho hum*
Anyway, the point of the exercise is to celebrate the continuing inspiration of a wonderfully talented artist, and a strong, brave woman...
To me, Frida encapsulates the essence of the Easter message - human life is hard, and some people suffer cruelly, but the human spirit is stronger than the suffering... True beauty will always shine through even the darkest of experiences...
Long Live Frida Kahlo!!
8 comments:
what a beautiful portrait! and such a fitting post for this week! i even love the paw marks. if you have an artistic cat, do not hide it. :) happy easter!
A beautiful portrait in color and expression!
I enjoyed watching this piece come together. I did notice the paw prints. Thankfully, my guy prefers to stay on the floor.
You made a beautiful entry, Claire. I even loved how you "hid" the paw prints. Well done. Happy Easter.
You've done wonderfully with this painting and thanks for sharing the stages of creation. Its always fun to see how a piece of art was made. Also loved the post you've written. I think Molly's contribution adds to the joy of the piece. Great entry for this week's theme.
Kat :-)
Beautiful post! Kitties do love to paint, I think Molly's touches are perfect. I love how your painting turned out...it's a favorite of mine. And I love what you wrote about Frida and the essence of the spirit.
♥♥♥
Lovely post, really enjoyed this! Awesome portrait, kitty prints and all! <3proupi
The paw prints add the animal spirit to Frida! :-)
Frida with paw prints! I love that kitty had to help. I very much like your portrait of Frida, she looks so serene there, as if in contemplation.
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