The Vision

Vision The Lady Behind the MASK- We all wear them, they are a necessity and help us. Yet if misused, harmful.

An Artist's vision and how they ''see'', for me, allows artist to use taste,talent and determination to inspire and gives them unique ''flavor''.

Today I'm going to share how I came about painting Le Facade(linked), a painting accepted as powerful and remarkable. The idea was to use a composition that was ''in your face'' to create impact. Yet be beautiful and captivating. I knew this would be the 1st painting in a ''Virtues'' series that is about how I see the world I live in and must be be powerful. There are three in the series so far, the others-Possession (woman with pearls) and Beauty Adorns Virtue- Freedom (still in progress).

I chose to have many 'S' curves incorporated throughout the painting to give it beauty. For impact, painted it framed, as if it could be you looking in a mirror, or someone looking right at us. The black parts were originally a ultramarine blue color (to complement the yellows of the mask), but against advice from my circle- I chose black for contrast, mystery and depth in the end. I wanted to show how such a celebrated ''mask'' can drain the truth from someone.

Initially LaFachade was very strong as an underpainting and worked-so much, I let it sit for a week- almost stopping there. Everyone wanted skin tones-Everyone! So I did apply them- and it horrified me as it lost so much of its power and allure . So I went back to to a grey/white/blue/brown hues, which told the story much better. The blue eyes are mine looking in a mirror, lightened for affect. I wanted the mask to lead, and the eyes to draw you in, so all else was subdued.
This one took about 6 weeks in all, and was an ''easy-painting'' as it went very well. Colors used were- Lead,titanium and zinc whites,Ultramarine blue,burnt umber,thao violet and yellow ochre. Everyone who seen it as I was working, told me'' I want to OWN this one!'' Most times you tend to get the ''I love that, I don't like it or - thats kool''. This one was different -magical. It has only shown once, as part of a group show- and I was impressed with the fact it was the only work from a 100 that got its own wall as you walked into the gallery.

I hope this give you some insight on the ''process'' of a painter and I invite your input. Thank you for everything- Maxx

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