‘Liberation’ Week 1. 28 October 2015h

My apologies as for some reason I cannot upload the image of this work.  It could be because I am in the process of having my website completely revamped and therefore I can’t manually upload images temporarily.  If you would like to see the image, please have a look at my Twitter account @MicheWatkins from tomorrow (29 October).  Thank you for your patience.

This painting is in its early stages hence only one leopard print shoe so far.  This is a young woman who is confident, modern and very into her fashion.  The red bra has come off, hence the ‘liberation’ but I leave the viewer to imagine what happens next.  She could be going to a burlesque class, or just finished it;  or about to meet her lover, who knows?  This is why I so love painting pieces like this, I have my own ideas as to what is happening, but you the viewer will have your own ideas.  I may soften the colour of the bra as at the moment I feel I have a bit of overkill on the red tones.

There will be more contrasts of light and darks as I go along I think, to give the picture more impact.

If you like this work, please have a look at my website for more images, or ‘like’ my Facebook page Miche Artist.  Thank you.

http://www.michewatkins.com

Twitter: @MicheWatkins, Facebook: Miche Artist, LinkedIn.

‘Downtime’ completed. 21 October 2015

Happy with the way this has worked out.  It has proved almost impossible to completely replicate the colours on Photoshop for Twitter and here on my Blog, so my apologies.  The dress is a more vivid sea green and there are shades of this on the shoes too.   I decided to add the rhinestones on the heels as bit of fun, as I feel most women like a bit of glitter on their stilettos….

This painting is now available to buy on my website http://www.michewatkins.com at £295 and is 45 x 60 cm.  If you like this painting, do have a look at my website to see more of my work.  I like capturing a moment in time in a woman’s day, a woman who is strong, confident, happy in her own skin.  Quite often I will crop the work or turn the head away to make the image more anonymous.  The viewer is then free to make up their own mind as to what is happening. I am also a great lover of bright colours!

I am in the process of having my website completely overhauled and already the work in progress is looking wonderful.  Will look forward to any feedback when it is completed.

http://www.michewatkins.com

Facebook : Miche Artist

Twitter @MicheWatkins

‘Downtime’ Week 2. 14 October 2015

Enjoying deciding on colours for this.  I particularly like the red of the sofa and will put more lights and darks into it as the painting progresses as I think the contrasts of light and shade always make for a more interesting work.

I had about a 50/50 split on Twitter feedback regarding leaving the shoes as they were or changing them.  In the end I a) slimmed down the straps and b) changed the colour to incorporate a coloured sole.  They may well become more pink next week.

The dress at present is sea green and I might put a pattern onto it as I go along.

I hope you like this painting and enjoy seeing the process behind it.  You can see more of my work at http://www.michewatkins.com.  I am interested in portraying women who are strong, independent and beautiful but with a touch of anonymity such as cropping or turning the head away from the viewer who can then make up their own mind as to what is happening.

I am having my website updated which is very exciting.  Watch this space and feel free to give me feedback when it goes live.

http://www.michewatkins.com

Facebook : Miche Artist

Twitter @MicheWatkins

Week 1. ‘Downtime’. 7 October 2015

A new painting, which always excites me.

The model for this work is one of my life models who has such wonderful skin to paint and a natural grace when she poses for the life drawing class that I run.  I asked if she would come to the studio and model for me in various settings that I had in mind.   In the end she had her own ideas as well, and we came up with some brilliant poses which will feature in future paintings – and in fact already have.

With this work I wanted to convey the woman of today, confident, happy in her own skin, hard working etc.  She has had a good day at work and is relaxing with a glass of wine before she goes out possibly.  Or this could be her workwear and she is knackered and just wants her downtime.  The hands behind the head are so that she can be just thinking her own thoughts, reflecting on her day, or wondering on the evening ahead.  Or just listening to some cool music.

Sometimes, as I have said before in one of my blogs, cropping a painting works well.  The viewer does not always need to see a complete face, he/she will make up his/her own mind what the person looks like.

I am delighted with the red sofa in the composition.  Red always lifts a painting, as I have discovered with the red shoes in previous works.  Initially, I thought the red might be too strident in the picture as a whole, but having put in the black and grey cushions, the red is slightly more muted.

Not sure yet what colour the dress will end up being.  The model was wearing a grey dress, but this is too similar to the cushions, so need to have a think about that.

I think the composition works very well portrait size and cropped and have yet to decide what else to put on the table next to the glass of wine.  Something to make the viewer think I hope…

I am in the process, finally, of having my website updated.  Thank you to everyone who has kindly agreed to have their comments uploaded onto a separate page on the new website.  It should be up and running in a few weeks, so bear with me please!

http://www.michewatkins.com

Facebook: Miche Artist