Painting Nostalgia: Sister, Sister
I was feeling nostalgic today, missing my sisters…feeling grateful for them in a kind of homesick way. So, I’m posting paintings of one them. Andrea Jane. Here is a short series of studies I painted with oil on canvas, using Andie’s wedding photos and my amazing memory (= as references. Photos taken in bright sun; Andie is either glancing down or squinting (I call it gazing pensively).
When I painted, I did not focus on making masterpieces.
Masterpiece painting is just too much pressure—a paralyzing strategy; instead, I simply had fun with paint. I was curious. Wondering if I could “sculpt”, and wondering too how a green ground would affect skin tones, and whether I could do white on white. I didn’t try for accurate likeness; I really was just playing. Serendipitous surprise: I can actually see not only my sister’s resemblance in the paintings, but my mother and grandmother’s too. Which for me give the paintings a vintage air.
I loved that accidental bonus (hope my parents don’t mind ending up in my blog… 40+ years ago).
My favorite study turned out to be the one I’ve placed in the middle of this post.
While I keep photos of the paintings, I don’t have the originals anymore; they are in “private collections”, which is just a fancy way of saying I either gave them away or I sold them. Today I regret that, just a tiny bit. My mom and Andrea each have one, and the last I sold to a couple with great taste in art (; who, not knowing me and having no idea of my sister, simply liked the reflective expression they saw on canvas.
I do too. Love you, Andie.
(The photos I’ve included of Andie in this post are taken from her engagement photo shoot. I didn’t try to find the wedding photos, buried deep in digital files.)
