Michael Pearce

I put a layer of paint over the legs, working wet white to build a first coat of flesh. It was challenging to keep the feeling of continuity in the changes of colour in the paint while dealing with regularly cleaning off the leaves that must go in front of the skin, so I’m very glad that I’ve painted the Empress’ legs before doing the grass in front of them. This will save me a lot of trouble later.

I want to get to his hands tomorrow. There simply wasn’t enough time today. It’s very satisfying to see the figures become increasingly solid.

I thought I’d share a challenging quote from Vasari’s Lives:

“Art owes its origins to nature herself… this beautiful creation, the world, supplied the first model, while the original teacher was that divine intelligence which has not only made us superior to the other animals, but like God himself, if I may venture to say it.” Vasari.

Hubris?

Because I’ve painted the Empress so that I can get the grass done I have all the colour mixes on the palette table, so I thought I’d better be practical and get the Emperor dressed in his skin too so I don’t have to match all the colour later when the palette has a new layer of different hues covering these ones up. I’ve completed the first layer on his torso, and quickly laid down some colour onto his face, using the work as a chance to show my students how to approach their work. I described the colour palete and techniques yesterday.

I’ll let this layer dry thoroughly, then have another look at it, re-examining the subtle shifts between colour and value in a more detailed layer of work. I like the gentle transitions between the light colours I’ve put into the flesh so far, and I’m looking forward to getting the face more thoroughly painted. Time seems to have gone very fast today.

Weirdly coloured, but now the vines are almost finished you can see the general shape of the composition.

Showing the freshly re-painted vines and flowers. There's still a small area of leaves to paint.

I’ve repainted all the stems of the vines in white so that when I glaze the plant they will pop out a little brighter than the leaves, giving me an opportunity to add a little green-red mix over the white. The flowers got a new coat of white too, preparing them for a nice bright glaze of colour. They should pop nicely. I still have to paint the brown over the new flower and to complete a small area of leaves on the right side of the painting.

At the top of the painting I’ve added another flower close to the Emperor’s arm. I wasn’t satisfied that the vine was strong enough on its own to pull the eye toward the stick, but a fairly isolated flower will pull focus just enough to allow our visual journey to continue in the cycle that I’m after.

Increasingly I’m thinking of the man and woman in the painting as the Imperial couple. The archetypal Emperor and Empress are representatives of God on earth – they’re the microcosmic version of the universal mind and the manifested creation, so the shaman woman is very much the arcana of life itself; the mother of all things; nature. To me, the cycle they participate in is that ebb and flow between materiality and harmony with the creation.

Although I think I might be going completely barmy as a result of drawing so many leaves and morning glory flowers the results are paying off as the full impact of the vines in the composition is beginning to emerge. I don’t have a great deal to say about the technical aspects of the work beyond what I’ve said in the last few posts, and I’m really looking forward to getting these leaves finished this work and moving on with the painting, which should start moving pretty fast after this slow period.

Remaining so focused on one subject for a long time is slightly painful. I try to keep my attention on the outcome of all the work, the bigger picture, if you like. Loud music helps, and the regular visits of my friends and colleagues Rich Brimer, Mike Adams and Tony Pro always bring welcome conversation and laughter to the studio.