Master Showcase

This painting is of my friend and fellow artist, Alla Bartoshchuk.

Robin Cole

Maiden, Mother, oil on linen, 1434 x 10½" (37 x 26 cm)

INSPIRATION

It is a meditation on the transformation many women undergo when they step from the ancient archetype of the "Maiden" into that of the "Mother," a process I am currently undergoing. The moment that gave rise to this particular image occurred several years ago when Alla was visiting my studio in Colorado. As we were outside wandering beneath the trees, I was struck by the beauty of those abstract shapes cascading across her face and the color potential within the intersection of light and shadow against the backdrop of wild green foliage.

PROCESS

I practice "direct" painting and love to come as close as possible to the desired tones and color relationships in my first pass. I handled the background a bit more loosely, manipulating some of the shapes with a silicon shaper, but I wanted to remain careful and detailed with the portrait. When possible, I prefer to work out design choices on the canvas, but in this case, I turned to a digital study, as it took quite a few attempts to find a shadow pattern. Afterwards, I slowed down for refinement, color nuance, and glazing. I found pleasure in elevating the warm/cool dynamic between the light and shadow on her skin and heating up the edges of the transition between the two.

Sharon Sprung

Emergence, oil, 40 x 36" (101 x 91 cm)