good to be flat vs. modeled 1st actual attempt

[Richard Rigney]

I am not really a good painter. I have little energy these days. I am very blown away by the skill here in concept. I cannot get on to Wetcanvas these days. My website is http://www.chrisjdw.gather.com some artwork there and so so photographs and a poorly written article. My husband has more energy than I. I 'm working a full time job selling jewelry (and it's not even that great of quality) O.k. that's not relevant...except I have little time to paint because of my extremely low energy level..I'm on a medication just to keep me awake during the day. I need to move to a warmer climate..really..but then I could not afford the cost of living...O.k. again not relevant...sorry I had coffee... and it's doing a number on me.. I've heard asian ginseng helps keep one awake...I'm trying it..

Wondering why the fine art contemporary forum? I do a different genre of artwork than my husband.. he seems to be fine with it ...even though we have deemed most of it "abstract" ...them again who knows.. maybe he just married me for looks...but by the look of this painting that would be a strange assumption... so anyway is flat bad..was looking at Alex Kantz.. this was my first attempt at ever painting my self with oils without glazing and directly from tube paint.. seemed hard to me and I don't really like myself as the subject..I'm working on getting bust photos of my husband to work from ...but he has little patience for me getting the lighting I need or time to pose for me....so I'm limited to myself for now I suppose... painting realism of myself would be scare me unless used artistic license to change my appearance...

So I've said far too much for a timid,average,moderate attempt at self-portrait... but I "attempted" it...I will try again soon... would rather work from a photograph next time. Also I'm aware it's flat...I think that is frowned upon here... my spouse could do better....it's just going to take time...I appriciate any feedback...
thanks...chris jdw

[Richard Rigney]

This was an exercise. I did come back to this forum to make sure I was not linked to Linnea. I indeed was. I have used my dog "nicky" as a avatar. Don't yell too loud he gets upset and curls his tail under his legs like myself.

I included an exercise below/above. It's just monochromatic blue colored pencil.. the features are off so as you can see with light lines I filled them in ..see nose..lines above to indicate where nose should have been..

I was sketching this when making dinner for my husband..(I know that seems old fashioned, but he can't cook..he likes my cooking and is fussy about food so I must be good.) He let me know which meals failed.

So I found this portion of the Book A handbook for student artists.. Why Art Cannot be Taught" by James Elkins...

There was some cursing directed at me which I found really not worth it.. It's sad really...but I used to do that to a fellow I modeled for...and that's not compassionate communicating which I apologize for. Or wish I could have anyway... portion from book

THe first orientation is mimetic, meaning that the artist's work is judged according to how well it matches nature. At first you might think that this is the same as the old criterion of skill: a mimetic critic would praise an artist by saying ,Those grapes make me want to eat them."

These days mimetic criticism seems too narrow because it sounds like the kind of instruction that a nineteenth-century academics gave to their painting students. That kind of narrow mimetic criticism is still fairly common in undergraduate drawing and and painting classes, where you might hear comments such as, "The hand bothers me, It think you should spend some time looking at hands. " But imitation is a wider category than that. It has been said to be the sole principle for all of criticism, and it can be applied to any case where art recreates something in the world-whether it's a hand, a grape, a word, gesture, or a mood. To Aristotle, socrates, and Plato, all arts were imitations, even flute playing, poetry,and dancing, (Mimeis seems to have been originally connected to dancing, before it became a general critical term.) As abrams says, imitation is a relational term-it stands for two items and some correspondence between them.

So in it's general sense, mimetic criticism is not entirely irrelevant to contemporary art critiques where sheer skill is not usually the issue.

Teachers still speak about the artist's ability to imitate something. It is also a mimetic criticism to say to a performance artist, "that gesture doesn't look like something I would do If I where really exhausted," or to say to an abstract painter, "This really has the quality of evening light in Atlanta."

Good Lord I can't believe I typed all that. This is what James Elkins says..he is a professor a Chicago Art Institute.


Any ways my sketch drawing is an exercise I realize the eyes are too wide and the nose is too far down...ect...

My husband walked in pointed it out..I said..."Hum I have not drawn anything close to natural for 6 months.. now you tell me?" I need a drawing board instead of the kitchen table..help me wash dishes...do laundry..ect...then get back to me before I make my mistakes...HA! enough said I feel tired....ladies usually get the blunt of the work load plus trying to find time to make art...and I wash and clean for two. It was easier being single..

O.k. enough said ....try not to call me names...or whatever was said.