Little Muse Painting

I think I’ll call this painting “Little Muse”.

I reserve the right to change my mind. But for now: Little Muse, because…hmm.  Wordplay?  She looks like she’s musing.  And she is the smallest of my five muses.  All my children captivate and inspire me, not just artistically, but…what.  Anthropologically.  They are all marvelous, fascinating people.

Of course, she may not have been musing at that moment, in real life.  She was on a swing, in her favorite magenta coat (the white collar is Artistic License), watching the ground come near, and then drop far away…and then near, and then far.  Perhaps the rhythm of the swing lent itself to 8 year old contemplation.  She is a deep soul.  (I’m trying to remember: did I?  When I was eight?  Think great thoughts?  I remember cutting my doll’s hair, making mud pies with rotten apricots, wishing my mom would buy Rice Krispies).

The next shot (which I didn’t paint) would be a very wide grin.  Airborne and ecstatic, big sister pushing her from behind.

I’m thinking flying ponies and possibly ice cream were on her mind.

The  painting is oil on canvas (well, oil on tissue paper on canvas; I gessoed tissue paper to the canvas before painting).   It is small, 8″ X 10″.  I used a photo as inspiration.

I finished it last week, at first slightly disappointed.  Telling myself (like I always keep doing) that it was ok that it hadn’t become what I’d imagined; I’d try again and get closer. And I probably will.  Next time, I’ll refer more to the inspiration photo as I paint.

However, as time goes by (near, and far, here, and there), I am liking this painting more and more.

I love studying faces (I suspect I make people uncomfortable, staring at noses, cheek planes, eyes, and the warm glow of a backlit ear).  And then I love figures, and then (wistfully) hands.  Love them, but they are all hard for me to recreate with lines and paint (especially hands).

There’s no question as to whether I like Nora though.  I love her; musing or no, she is my little muse.

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