After a few days of humming and hahing I’ve committed to editing the Traveler and Magician paintings from their earlier square composition. Now rectangles, the compositions look much better balanced, with the focus of attention moving down to the sun and the hand and face of the Traveler, while in the Magician the relationship of [...]
The morning glory has spread to cover much of the calf of the Emperor’s right leg, but I want to show more of it reaching up to pass his left foot, perhaps even stretching out tendrils toward his abdomen and increasing the feeling that he is being overwhelmed by the creeping vines. Working on the [...]
I had the pleasure of hosting a studio talk at my space at CLU yesterday afternoon, including a brief demonstration of glaze painting, using a Sap Green over the background of the Star to show the luminosity and flexibility of oil painting. Between twenty and thirty people attended, and we had a very pleasant [...]
After continuing the patchy Raw Umber brown a little further by using a rag to lift leaf shapes from the paint, revealing the orange glow of the Iron Oxide ground, I’ve expanded the range of the star shaped jasmine flowers to create an S shaped swoop down behind the figure. This done I spent a [...]
I’m very pleased to be able to share these four images with you. They’re the result of a year and a half of painting. The Angel of Death, The Magician, The Empress, The Traveler. All Oil on Canvas, 96″ x 96″. Copyright Michael Pearce 2011
I’ve finished the brown layer of the skulls, which means that everything should start moving a bit faster now. I’m very pleased to see how much the painting has opened out, with the skulls streaming out off the sides of the canvas. I’m also very happy with the skeleton’s legs, which I extended so that [...]
Michael Pearce The Traveler, 2010. Oil on Canvas. 96″ x 96″ (284.8cm x 284.8cm)
After three days in bed with the flu, I’ve made it back to the studio for a couple of hours, where I’ve been painting in short bursts, alternated with sitting down and resting with some ginseng green tea, which is becoming a studio necessity. Working despite feeling crappy has been worth it to get the [...]
So close now! I’ve added more foliage to the right side where the convergence of sky, land and foreground was creating a disturbing node too close to the edge of the painting – now the foliage is there it covers the intersection and directs the eye toward the acacia above, so the pleasant wave like [...]
I turned the roses red and added lots of new en grisaille flowers to the painting. On the right, mingled with the roses, a laurel, used by the Greeks and Romans to celebrate victory. Above the roses a spread of tiny forget-me-nots, for remembrance. Behind the traveler I added some Opium poppies that will go a rich [...]
