Colorizing Photos

One of my favorite things to do in oil painting is to take old photographs that I find in very old National Geographics or other publications and redrawing them on canvas and "colorizing" this images. I love to invent the colors that may have existed in the scene. My first project was from a book of images by Edward Curtis the reknown photographer. I found a picture of an Indian maiden that really spoke to me. I drew it on a large canvas and began to paint it in oil colors. I attempted to research the colors that this Indian Maiden may have worn but was getting a little bored with the research. I decided that the colors should come from my mind with no regard to history. The painting is 24" x 30".

My next project in my "colorized series" was from a National Geographic magazine from the early 1920's. It was a picture of a man standing on the shore casting a line into a wave. Honestly, I think I got a little "teal happy" on this one, but I am not ready to go back into it to fix it. I was happy with the reflection and shadow on the sand and it was a great learning experience.

My current "colorized work" is coming from another old National Geographic magazine (Sept. 1923). The island of Corsica was written about in this issue and it holds some of the most moving photographs of people that I have ever seen. One picture that really spoke to me was a photo of an elderly Corsican woman knitting. The photo is about 5" x 6". I drew it on a large canvas in pencil. I then thinned some raw umber with liquin and coated the canvas with a thin layer all over including over the pencil.

I have been working on it in 2 hour increments once a week for 2 months. Her wrinkles have proved to be a great challenge. At one time I had her cloaked all in very dark bluish black. It didn't seem to fit her personality so I gave her a lovely green scarf and added brighter blue tones to her dress.

This is a picture of the painting as it sits today. I need to add many details. Her apron will be striped and I have a great deal of clean-up to do on the sleeves. This was my first attempt to paint elderly skin. It is very interesting to paint. I was happy with the results on the hands.

Oil Painting for My Pleasure

While I make ceramic and glass art for my business, Creative Paradise, Inc. I truly enjoy making oil paintings for my own pleasure. My father is an artist. I can remember being very young and impressed by my father's artistic abilities. In awe might be a better descriptor. He was in the Air Force. He was trained as an architect but drafting an occasional building for an occasional base was the extent of the use of this training. Now, as he approaches 80, he is getting back at the canvas to paint. He picks me up every Wednesday night and we go to the art center at McConnel Air Base and paint for 2 hours. It has been a great bonding experience for us as well as a great creative outlet for me. The picture posted here is one of my father's most recent oil paintings. The painting was not finished when I took this picture. The architect in him is coming out in this painting.

I have several fused glass designs in the kiln right now. I am getting ready to publish an instructional booklet for creating standing glass figures. My company, Creative Paradise, Inc. designs molds the can be used to slump glass into a 3 or 4 legged standing figure.

I have very talented artist that work with me at my business. They make awesome figures using these molds. I made the wedding couple on the mold shown here. I am working to improve the faces to make them more attractive!

New to blogging

I am very new to blogging. I want a place to share artwork, hence I blog.