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Old 03-13-2009, 11:27 AM   #1
Elia Cid
Artificial Intelligence usually beats real stupidity.
 
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: East Stroudsburg ,PA
Posts: 320
"The Lady of the Rock" , WIP by Alex Castro

Dear Friends,
I just wanted to let you all know what I’m currently doing, this one time as this is not the place for this type of art , please visit my new website to see it completed Thanks.

That being said, I decided to go on with it at the urging of friends, students and fans. But more importantly, Frank Frazetta's words " Why aren't you painting" still hunt me because I really didn't have a good answer!

I have a passion for the miniatures and they will always have a place in my heart. However, it's time for me to move on and embark on a new path I strongly feel I was born to take and share with the world . My personal new age concepts of life for the most part will be executed in a realistic style but will not be limited to it! I will use any technique, approach and painting style as they are means to an end , that will act as a vehicle to express these concepts.
The only consideration that will be driving my work is the universal spiritual concepts expressed in the compositions I create. My painting motto is "Saturation , Isolation, Containment "

Stay tuned for the next stages as I bring this "The Lady of the Rock" to life.

Thank you for looking,

Alex

P.S. The sky ,mountain range , river and lastly the foreground will follow, since I'm right handed and will finish this painting from left to right approach .

"The Lady of the Rock"

"The Lady of the Rock" (20" x 27" ) Oils on wood panel, work-in-progress by Alex Castro ©
Note;
How lightly the the graphite is traced on the wood panel. The toning of the wood panel in raw umber, not only allows to establish values quickly but also serves to integrate the graphite and make it easier to cover up with a thin wash outline and not have the graphite show through.

The negative spaces form and define many of these shapes in this composition. The dark areas in this painting have depth and texture, even in the darkest areas!

The breast in this composition will be painted and integrated with the cliff side. The concept in mind is to have the shadow look natural and part of the cliff and at the same time represent the outline of the breast in a subliminal manner.

A word on finishing (Stopping):

After spending, weeks, months or even years with a particular painting, you establish a relationship with the piece. Oftentimes one can overwork the painting even when the piece is screaming Stop!!

Step back and stop painting for at day or two and come back to the painting with fresh eyes!

A good indicator that you reached that point is that no matter what you do, you don’t improve the piece. In fact, it my look worse, that's when the painting looks back at you and says stop!!!

Once I technically finish the piece, I will analyze what I have done, tweak any minor issues, then give it a low sheen varnish to even out the shine created by the oils and protect the piece.

A strong drawing is the foundation of a great painting ! In this picture I started painting in the skin tones and developing the rock work. I also started laying down my tone value and blending skin tones.

Graphite on tracing paper. In this picture I useed yellow orchard and raw umber, flake white, ivory black . I laid out the sky to establish tone values and light source .

"The Lady of the Rock" © (20" x 27" ) Graphite on paper then oils on wood panel, work-in-progress by Alex Castro ©
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Old 03-30-2009, 08:46 PM   #2
Elia Cid
Artificial Intelligence usually beats real stupidity.
 
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: East Stroudsburg ,PA
Posts: 320
On finishing,"The Lady of the Rock" ©

Hi,
I, dedicating this this email primarily to my students but of cause all are more the welcome to read and enjoy.
let me first make a few more points to my students on finishing , by all reason I should have been finished with this painting a week ago , I just have a few rock formations on the right-hand side and technically the painting is complete
that being said , there is a differences in completing and finishing a painting ,by completing I mean that every thing in the composition has been done , for me that's when the heard work beings in that I do a process I call "perfecting" ,
that basically means going over any issue I might have need of more attention but more importantly having an artistically honest conversation with myself and asking myself is there a better way of doing this or can it be improve in any parts and in whole
was this what I wanted to create, keeping in mine that there are no reference in original work of this kind to compare with and the only time I know this what I really want is when I have created it and see it for the first time . I have tried and exhausted any and all approaches, it is in a way a battle of tenacity and determination, a master once told me , the elementals of art respect only one thing of an artist and that is "Character"!
In a week or two I will come back with fresh eyes looking at the painting at the outdoors as well as indoors. Once I have satisfied myself artistically and only then do I sing my work !

Stay tuned for the completion of this painting in the next few week, thanks for you support ,

Alex

P.S. Please visit my website alexcastro.com thanks.

"The Lady of the Rock" Close-Up

The Lady of the Rock" © (20" x 27" ) Oils on wood panel, work-in-progress by Alex Castro ©

"The Lady of the Rock"

"The Lady of the Rock" © (20" x 27" ) Oils on wood panel, work-in-progress by Alex Castro ©
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