Discovering Portraits

On Top of Things

As cooler weather comes our way I am trying to shift off garden design to designing works in the studio.  I often start with something already in progress and go from there into a new series. In January and February I made 20 small “portrait”collages formed from a composite of features.  They are all 5 x 7 inches.  Now, a few months later, I am translating them into paint on 8 x 10 inch canvases.  Making each collage took three times longer to form than I expected.  Making the painting also at least three times longer than I planned.  Often the painted version has a completely different expression, which I let come forth.  I told my friend that I didn’t know who these women are, and without actually seeing them she suggested, “Maybe they are Everywoman.”  So that is how I am seeing them for now.  (It was her parting gift to me before she died.  Thank you Margee Iddings.)

The Ebbing of Patience