Monday, November 2, 2009

Fun Art, not Fine Art

I've been wanting to take another go at the Western dancers that took to paper in Rodeo Nights. I sketched the dancers on watercolor paper again and decided to trace them on my new bigger tracing paper. Now I have the images ready to go for another try after this. Plus it was less paralyzing to start painting since I knew I had an easy start on a redo.

 
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I thought about patterns and decided to go to the original rose boots I'd used in Rodeo Nights but abandoned when they became too dominant. This time I decided to use roses throughout the figures. I remembered back 50 years ago when my parents were square-dancers. My mom always made Dad a shirt and herself a dress or skirt in matching fabric. I also decided to go to the desert with this one and put prickly pear cactus in the painting.

 
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Here are the invisible dancers!

I thought I'd worked out all the problems and had a decent painting at this point, but looking at it closely, the female's right foot is too small and her face just isn't quite right.

 
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So I went back to the studio to enlarge the right boot which I could easily do since it was a white background. I simply added to the roses and leafy areas until the foot was a better size. The face was more of a challenge. I had to lift it out, yikes! I sacrificed the surface of the paper a bit, but I think it worked out. I'm happier with the face now.

 
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Prickly Pear Polka 22 x 18

So it is not fine art, but I think it would make a great poster. Anybody know of a Western Dance poster contest?

But it may not be done...Now I'm wondering if the guy's hair is too dark.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The hair looks fine...you have other darks to match. LV

Anonymous said...

I like the improvement in her face. Margaret, I love your spirit. You paint the most original paintings. I like the white spaces and the patterning. Way to go. Linda N.