Behind the Scenes of My Next Painting - Part 1

I’m currently exploring an idea for my next painting. The subject will be my youngest daughter, Arabella. I haven’t painted her before, but I have painted my eldest several times, so I need to even it out.

With most subjects, I feel confident enough to jump straight into the painting and work it out on the fly. But with tricky subjects that I haven’t painted before, I like to do some extra exploration work first. I wanted to give you insight into what that looks like.

The first step is selecting a reference photo to paint from. I have two in mind that I’m tossing up between. I may even paint them both, I’m not sure yet.

I’m incredibly selective when it comes to reference photos of my daughters. The paintings take so much time and energy that only the best reference photos will do. For Arabella, out of the hundreds or even thousands of photos we have taken of her over the last 2 years, there are probably only 2 or 3 photos that I would consider painting from. Everything has to line up just right. The composition, the light, the pose and gesture, the colors, everything. And on top of all that, it must have some x-factor that compels me to paint it. Some spark that I can’t define. (This frustrates Chontele. She will often take nice photos of the girls and ask if I’ll paint it. But nice is not enough!)

Both photos were taken from our recent trip to K’Gari Island (formerly Fraser Island). We did a day trip across the island in the “big, sturdy bus”, as the kids called it. Around midday, we stopped at Eli Creek. The sunlight was blinding and flickered off the creek’s surface. And the sand appeared a brilliant white.

The first reference photo features Arabella trudging up the creek, holding hands with Elora. After seeing this composition come together, I immediately went into photo mode. When inspiration strikes, you must act! What I like about this one is the wonderful reflected light on Arabella’s face and the shimmering water. It reminds me of Sorolla’s beach paintings.

The second reference photo came moments later, with Arabella standing on the side of the creek. That smile sums up her personality nicely. She is a joyful spirit and I want to capture that in a painting. Again, reflected light plays a big role. I also like the overall design, with the sand dune in the back, the blue sky, the cast shadow, and Arabella partly in shadow and partly in light.

Next in the exploration process, I’ll do a sketch and some color studies. I’ll cover that in my next email.

Also, we will be doing another round of the Color Masterclass around the end of this month. Make sure to join the waitlist if interested.

Happy painting!