October was an exciting and eventful month for Bob Dorsey the portrait artist. While fellow artist Trent Day was helping me recover from hair neglect, he offered me a chance to paint one of his lovely hair models. He had great images from a recent photo shoot, so I was thrilled to work from a perfect photo.
Lily was the model for the first of two 36″x48″ canvases that were painted. There’s plenty of excitement within the first few hours of painting on a new canvas.
There’s a stage in the process where the canvas is laid flat on a table and worked on/observed from all around.
After about 10 days of painting, Lily was finished. Then, with great joy, Trent commissioned me to paint Annelisa.
It’s even more exciting to start on a new portrait when the brushes are still wet from the previous work. As with Lily, Trent had a beautiful photo to work from, making my job so much easier.
My canvases spend much or their time upside down as I attempt to paint with my eyes rather than my preconceived notions. It might seem peculiar, but it tends to work well for me. I flip flop throughout the entire process, rotating the canvas on all sides. I use my iPad to zoom in on details. It’s a great tool.
Next time you’re in Valrico, stop by Salon Roxy and meet Trent and his staff of artists. Maybe you’ll be his next portrait commission?