Sight-size Cast Painting

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

My newest sight-size painting project is of a (plaster sculpture) cast of a Roman soldier. I joke around the Angel Academy that he is pouting so strongly because his helmet is too tight. (That is even funnier in British English.) In any event, he seems to be a rather popular fellow.

This first image is of my project. I have sketched out the shapes of the cast from a viewing distance of about two meters. It is a lot of pacing the floor, in case you were concerned for my sanity. The second image was taken by my friend Lucia, who decided to sign the canvas as her own. [I have been joking with her that I will finish my project before she finishes her almost completed one. I am not known for my speed…] Here I am about to paint her out…

I work three hours minimum each afternoon on this project, but I share the lighting and space with two other artists who spend the same amount of time working on a different cast each morning. For this reason, I move my cast over to a safe place when I am not painting from him. He spends most of his days in front of John Angel’s copy of a Caravaggio. Students pass him every day and one day, I came out of my model session to see that someone has dressed him. This next image shows how goofy my colleagues are as we start to have a good time.

I went off to lunch and returned later to a room full of people enjoying my surprise. They had added a few items of adornment, including a palette, knitting needle (for comparative measuring), and a banana. [We have a bit of nerdy humor around these parts, eh?] So I have my new crush and while I will miss him over the summer, I am actually going to be too busy to fret much about him. Still, there are two weeks left to go …

My latest art newsletter is now available online for your viewing pleasure. In it, I share with you a sneak peak at new artwork inspired by my trip to Morocco, as well as some images that I am quite happy with myself to have taken of Tuscany. Click here for art news.