A full and busy day, I have to paint a picture for the Ruth Borchard Self Portrait prize and came up with an idea this morning, and another this afternoon. I've spent all day preparing for this/these. Expanding the ideas sketch to size, preparing a paper for the underdrawing and starting to source images for the compositions.
The one I'll focus on is called Meals of Warm Spring, which is about perfection, legacy, and a reflection of my mood at this time, like all self portraits should; though it's a complex composition with many elements, not a lone figure. I'm reminded that many (if not all!) of my paintings could be considered self portraits in a psychological realm, to some extent. There are overt influences from historical paintings. The title itself is a pun on Supper at Emmaus, the double meaning helps the mood and meaning. It's a large work, 48x61cm, and I have just 3 weeks to complete it.
Tonight I'm going to the opera to see Carmen, a late birthday gift from Deborah, and Peter has a lesson on Wednesday; and I have many duties regarding the music promotion and game sales, but this painting will be my main focus. I'm still in the composition stage, but must complete that, the tracing to canvas, and a colour study this week.
