Dear Art lover,
I have a special place in my heart for
caretakers. Some people choose that role;
others find themselves in it when a loved one needs special attention. In either situation, it is a tough and more
than full-time job. One only stays with
it because of love.
I decided to create a portrait painting of Miranda and Borislav
[nickname Boro], the couple who are renting a small flat to me here in Umag,
Croatia. Boro has been struggling with
pancreatic cancer and depends on his wife’s help for many things. Miranda told me how she missed the New Year's
Eve fireworks because she had to drive Boro to Pula to fight a fever he
had. Pula is the nearest city for affordable
good health care and over an hour’s drive.
They had a hospital closer, but now that Yugoslavia no longer exists,
this place is not affordable for most Croatians.
Anyway, after a bit of effort acquiring oil painting
supplies and with a generous and surprise gift from Nitram Charcoal in Canada,
I began my project by sketching my subjects.
I was nervous and not just because I am a bit rusty. I sat with the two of them in their living
room as I sketched each one, I started
with Boro because I did not know how long he would be able to pose. I spent less time on the sketch of Miranda
and conversed with her, which basically resulted in a sketch that I did not
like. I did another one later, with much
more time in it.
Despite my initial drawings for this project, I have
to primarily work from photographs, based on the nature of their lives. And I went home that Saturday evening after sketching
and taking images to create a few design ideas in Photoshop. I had not yet found materials, but I know
from much experience that the design takes time. I created a composite of several images until I found the composition and expressions close enough for the idea that I sought.
Here I share with you two of my sketches and a
self-portrait using my new Nitram Bâton, drawing my design in charcoal
directly on my canvas.
This last image is to show you how I setup a
makeshift studio in the small hallway of my flat. The door entering the flat is
behind me, allowing me to step further back as the need arises. The 100 x 70 cm canvas is too large for my
travel easel, so I moved indoors a small table I found on my balcony, covering
everything with newspaper or plastic to protect the home. My computer sits on a couple of chairs with
the light I brought clipped to a shelf above the coat rack.
And, as always, thank you for your continued
interest. Share this with anyone you
think might appreciate it!
~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor,
painter, writer, teacher
PS My 15th
Anniversary Sale (for taking the plunge to full-time artist) continues: FREE WORLDWIDE shipping until 31 January 2015
(by midnight Texas time). Let me know
which artwork interests you. I offer
payment plans as well. For more
information on that, visit: http://www.borsheimarts.com/pricelist.htm
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