Why paint?

In this series, I want to pay homage to these groups of people who:

• seek to flourish here in a new culture
• seek to hold on to their heritage
• may be in the throes of assimilation

-MU

Feel free to comment on any of these posts.

These women were among a group of African dancers at the FOC (notes below). I'm tryin to learn whether or not they are Bantu dancers. This drawing is an extended study for a painting. Rather than working exclusively from photos, I’d like to work from observation. Looking into connecting with some of the FOC groups in the service of research. Would like to observe the groups while they practice, and participate in normal unstaged settings.

African Dress

Working on a series of paintings on African dress that I photographed at the C'ville Festival of Cultures. See posts below for more on the FOC. Here's a study for one of the pieces to be done in oils. The subject was reaching into a bag for a sandwich. -MU

Morris Dancers paintings on hold

Think I’ll let these Morris Dancers studies, from the Charlottesville Festival of Cultures, remain as sketches for the time being. (Long term plan is to work up paintings at a size of around 16” x 20”.)

I like what I’m learning from studying these figures, but, something else piques my curiosity a bit more. At the moment, I’m intrigued by a cultural attribute that is unfamiliar to me – African dress.

In attendance at the Festival of Cultures was a group of women dressed in traditional African attire. The colorful clothing speaks for itself. But, as an artist, truly, the most beautiful skin I’ve ever seen on any human being was that of an African woman’s. The way light caught this woman’s face made her skin produce a violet ruddiness. This shouldn’t be surprising. It’s a common practice for portrait painters to do the underpainting, or grisaille, for African skin in violet tones, such as dioxazine violet.

In the time ahead, I’m planning to use the photo references I have for studies. The aim is to paint more extended works – compositions based on the studies. When I have something respectable, I’ll post it for the group to have a peek at and comment on.

Likely, then, I’ll return my painting focus to that likable troupe -- the Morris Dancers.

yrs,
MU

More studies from the C'ville Festival of Cultures

Hello all:
Here's another sketch from the F.O.C. Working now on putting several of these figures together in a composition for oil on canvas -- probably around 16" x 20", or, maybe a bit larger.

Feel free to comment on these posts.


Keep painting!
Mike

Charlottesville Festival of Cultures

Bearing in mind the old adage “inclusion, not exclusion, is key to survival,” I’m branching out from my home studio into the community.

For years, my kids were my subjects of study. These days, the boys aren’t around as much, so, I’m looking outward to answer the question that plagues all artists: “what will I paint next?”

In an email newsletter from Piedmont Council for the Arts, I noticed an announcement for Charlottesville’s Festival of Cultures at Lee Park. The Festival is organized by the CCS Adult Learning Center that serves members of the community who are from other parts of the world. Being interested in all things cultural, I headed over to the event. Here are a few snapshots taken at the Festival on Saturday, May 10.




These images will serve only as reference material – the intent is not to mimic the photo, but learn from it. In a painting workshop conducted by D.C. painter Carlton Fletcher at the Beverley Street Studio School (Staunton, VA), Fletcher emphasized that “the Polaroid is our friend,” “by the time I get done with them [the photos] the only thing left is the gesture.” (Fletcher).

At the Festival, I was moving around the crowd taking snapshots with my inexpensive Cannon digital camera (about $200 at the time of purchase). Below is a photographer who was more interested in making the photo the final product.



I’m also interested in more detailed, extended studies -- formal portraits based on the folks whose photos I took. Of the many fascinating looking people at the festival, a fiddler caught my eye as he was meandering about a large group of musicians and dancers – all waiting to perform.


This study took about an hour. These brief pieces are a big help for addressing issues of larger works.


Maybe, I can find out who some of these folks are and approach them about sitting for a longer, more formal study. Perhaps, a group of us can meet to take photos, that we can then reference in our respective studios in the service of extended studies. If you’re interested, let me know. In the meantime, keep painting!

-MU