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.

16 comments:

Lauren Maurer said...

very cool project!

Dean Grey said...

This looks like tons of fun, Carol!!

How ambitious of you!

I can't wait to see all of those faces from you!

-Dean

Gwen Bell said...

What a fantastic and fun project! I will look through my photos and get some to you ASAP. Can't wait to see this wonderfully creative series!

Dana Cooper said...

Wow Carol, I'm impressed with your goal...can't wait to see the results, will you be posting daily?

Ishrath said...

All the best, Carol. I will be watching this space as you paint along. Wishing you health to complete your new project.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Candy Barr said...

Very cool Carol..looking forward to watching your series unfold! Are you open to having a jpg sent to you?

Saundra Lane Galloway said...

I'm excited!! Your fauvist works are what drew me to one of your booths one year that got us reacquainted! You all have to see these in person, they are awesome!!

Paintings by Irit Bourla said...

What a wonderfull idea and very creative !

Cynthia said...

What an interesting project. You are starting on a fun adventure and this will be sooo much fun on your blog for us all. I look forward to it. I am actually going to rummage through the fotos
of my grandmother....and mom. Hope I find something applicable.

Nancy Goldman said...

This is a great idea. Painting portraits is scary to me. Maybe someday I will be brave and try it. I can't wait to see your 100 faces.

Essay said...

Thanks for sharing, your blog is worth reading, nice post. Keep it up.

Pattie Wall said...

You are a brave woman and have chosen a very notable task! Good luck to you! I will love seeing what you are up to as you add them!

nina kuriloff said...

Good luck with this very ambitious project of yours!
:-)

Barb said...

Nice idea. I look forward to viewing your paintings in progress. Happy New Year!

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