100 PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - a quick review

My portrait project commences in on 1-1-2010. YOU can participate. I am in the process of reviewing photos sent to me from all over the world for my project. The best photos from a painting stand point, will be part of the 100 portraits.

Photo requirements are:

1. Color photo from the shoulders up
2. Strong light source - in the sun is good. Flash photos with you looking into the
   camera are not the best. The idea is to have shadows on the face.
3. Subject should be over 2 years old.
4. Unusual angles, lighting, hats, etc. are good
5. Glasses, sunglasses OK

Painting will be done in oil on a 6x6 (15.2x15.2cm) panel, unframed. Painting will be done in a bold, colorful style (see Fauvism). Each painting will be available for $75 including shipping in the US, $85 international. Payment will be made via Paypal button on my website. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO PURCHASE THE PAINTING.

By sending me a photo, you are granting me permission to paint it, and post the photo and the painting on my blogs and website.

YOU WILL NOT BE IDENTIFIED, EXCEPT BY FIRST NAME. I WILL REVEAL IDENTITIES AND LINKS TO BLOGS/WEBSITES OF PERSONS WHO SO DESIRE.

Unless it is really obvious, please state your eye color.

Photos may be emailed to carolnelsonfineart@comcast.net or sent to my studio at
13904 E. Radcliff Pl, Aurora, CO, 80015, USA.

Thanks to all who have sent me photos so far. Many are EXCELLENT.

Carol

100 PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS

WHAT: OK, here's the big project: Starting Jan 1, 2010, I will paint a portrait a day for 100 days. Whose portraits, you ask? That's where YOU come in. Anyone can email me, or mail me, a photo for consideration in the Portrait Project. By sending me a photo, you are giving me permission to paint the portrait and publish the completed painting along with the photo, on my blogs, my online gallery - Daily Painters.com, and on my website.

Each portrait will be painted on a 6x6 inch (15.2 x 15.2 cm) panel, in oil, and be available for sale for $65 plus $10 shipping/handling in the US, $20 international. If you wish to purchase a portrait, simply click on the Paypal button on my website.

WHEN: I will start collecting photos immediately and continue doing so during the duration of the project. I will choose which portraits I wish to paint, so sending me a photo does not GUARANTEE that it will be painted as a part of the project.

PRIVACY: I will only reveal the first name of the person, and each portrait will be given a number. So the first portrait will be, for example, "CAROL, 1/100", the second "JANE, 2/100" and so on. Your photo will NOT be returned.

PHOTO REQUIREMENTS: The photo you send should be from the shoulders up only. The photo should be taken by YOU, not a professional photographer. The best photos for portraits have strong light and shadow. A flash photo taken with you looking directly in the camera generally yields a flat image that is not as interesting to paint. No group photos, please.

I will not paint children less than 2 years of age, nor will I paint four-legged best friends. Oh, and please state your eye color, e.g., hazel, gray-green, dark blue, etc, because it's hard to see color in many photos.

WHY: Many of you have seen references on my blog to DSFDF. That stands for Different Strokes from Different Folks.blogspot.com. This is the fabulous Karin Jurick's blog where Karin posts a photo for anyone to paint and then posts it on her blog. Currently on DSFDF, she has participants painting portraits of fellow artists. This is a very fun project and I enjoy looking at all the portraits on that site.

A couple years ago, I did a mini version of this where I painted 12 portraits in Fauvist style. These twelve people are hanging on the wall in my bathroom and I enjoy looking at them every day - I'm used to these 12 people looking at me in the bathroom now, but at first it was a bit disconcerting.

STYLE: I will paint the portraits generally in a Fauvist style which involves using unusual colors and strong brushwork. Faces may be cropped for artistic effect. I may decide to give you a purple nose and a green forehead - I reserve the right to be wild and crazy. I will endeavor to achieve a likeness to the photo, but since I'm working from a single photo reference, I cannot guarantee the painting will be a perfect image.

OBLIGATION: You are under no obligation to purchase your portrait. This is not a commissioned portrait.

CONTACT: My email address is: carolnelsonfineart@comcast.net.
My studio address is: 13904 E. Radcliff Pl, Aurora, CO 80015

I think this has the potential to be a very fun project. Many daily painters have completed 100 paintings in 100 days, although I'm not aware of anyone doing strictly portraits as a project.
With your help, I will be able to create a sizable body of work and improve my skills as a portrait artist.

SONG OF THE POPPIES, 9118, mixed media floral painting by Carol Nelson © Carol Nelson Fine Art

I had to really work and rework portions of this painting because of the multiple areas competing for attention. The poppies are the center of interest, but the grid pattern on the right was so bold, it drew the eye away from the poppies. I had to tone it down several times. The areas embedded with bits of sheet music have a transparent layer of gold metallic paint on them for emphasis and pizazz.

This 24x36 inch painting comes with a black floater frame. Please see my website for purchase information.

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK MY BLOG ON MONDAY, 12-21, FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF A BIG PROJECT IN WHICH EVERYONE CAN HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE.

STAY TUNED! MONDAY, 12/21/2009

STAY TUNED TO THIS BLOG. I'M GOING TO ANNOUNCE AN UPCOMING PROJECT ON MONDAY, 12/21/2009, IN WHICH ALL OF YOU CAN PARTICIPATE, IF YOU CHOOSE.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE AN ARTIST TO PARTICIPATE.

IT'S GONNA BE BIG!

PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST, 9117, 8x12 oil on MDF panel

This lovely lady is an artist that I do not know. I painted her portrait as part of Karin Jurick's challenge blog called Different Strokes from Different Folks. Each artist sent Karin a photo of themselves. Karin then sent them out to other artists to paint.
I had fun with this portrait. I was going to take several photos of the painting in progress, but I got so involved in the process that I only took one. Her white/blond hair made for a dramatic painting. Click on the blog name for a link to see everyone's efforts at painting total strangers with only one photo reference.

PATCHWORK, 9116, abstract floral collage by Carol Nelson © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Surprise!!!! More poppies. Of course, it's no surprise that I'm painting my favorite flowers again. The fun part of this painting was coming up with different treatments for the various rectangles in the composition. It turned out to be much more difficult than I thought it would be.

Some of the rectangles were two or three different colors or surface treatments before I was done. I suppose I could have worked it all out on paper before I started, but that would be too methodical for me - my inner child likes to play with the materials. The larger central gray/brown rectangle has actually two layers of rice paper on it.

The vertical and horizontal lines are straight. The camera slightly distorts the lines so they look slightly bent. Also, the metal leaf between most of the rectangles doesn't show well.

This 36x24 inch painting comes with it's own black floater frame. For purchase information, please see my website.

ICE AGE, 9115, geologic abstract by Carol Nelson © Carol Nelson Fine Art

This geologic abstract touches on a cool palette that I don't use very often, but I really like the combination of the blues and the browns. It is more fun than you can imagine to let the colors flow together and have complete freedom in mixing the colors as I choose. It's why these abstracts are such a kick for me.
I tried something new in coming up with this composition. I brushed on some watered down colors onto the canvas, then covered it with the clear plastic that the canvas came wrapped in (making use of something I would have discarded.)
Lifting up the edges of the plastic, I squirted in more water causing the colors to flow into the wrinkles and crevasses in the plastic. When the plastic was removed later, there was an abstract flow pattern you can see in the finished work.
As with other paintings in this series, the metal foils and areas of soft metallic sheen are not picked up well by the camera, making the original a more dynamic, exciting piece than what you see here.
For purchase information of this framed 36x24 inch painting, please see my website.

SACRED GROUND, 9114, geologic abstract by Carol Nelson © Carol Nelson Fine Art

This is another in my geologic abstract series featuring warm earth tones and metallic accents. I'm sorry the photo does not show the light reflecting off the 5 metal foil squares in the piece. If you're actually viewing the painting from various angles, the light bounces off as you move around. There are also passages having a soft metallic sheen that are also lost in photography.

I guess it's a good thing that a copy of this painting would have none of the drama the original piece has. That's another reason why I don't make giclee prints of my abstract metallic work - they just don't translate well in a print.

For purchase information on this 36x24 framed acrylic painting, please click on the title of the painting to go to my website.

GOULDIAN FINCHES, 9113, commission portrait of pet birds

A client asked me to paint his Gouldian finches. They have such colorful plumage - that's the male with the red head. There also is a variety that has the same coloring except the breast is purple where these two are white. The upper left is a nest box with three babies in it. The babies open mouths have the striking black and white pattern apparently for the parents to know where to put the food.
These energetic little finches breed easily in captivity under the right conditions. Breeders can become very involved in the genetics and planning the colors of the offspring.
This painting is sold.

Precious contacted by modeling agency!

About a month ago I posted a photo of my dog, Precious, modeling her new coat (see top photo.) Precious got an email from a German modeling agency!!! She was very flattered and excited (especially when I told her the news with a treat in my hand), but the thought of international travel made her a bit nervous. She is, at 12 (84) years old, an octogenarian after all, and feels it's a little late for a new career in modeling.