sharpartonline.com » painting

Portrait: Mum

SharpArt — Sun, 20 May 2012 22:46:59 +0000

Been a long time in posting this as it was completed in February. Nevertheless, this is the film of my painting a portrait of my Mum.

Acrylic on canvas, measures 80cm x 100cm.

Portrait of Dan

SharpArt — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:42:31 +0000

I finished this in February, but have only just got round to making this short film.

It’s just a selection of stills taken of me painting a portrait in acrylic on canvas. I was trying out some techniques I’d not used before – like a mid grey undercoat as Holbein used when painting The Ambassadors. I thought I might try letting the base coat show through in some of the highlighting. But as it turned out I painted over practically all the surface.

Also I’d been looking at polychrome work and Estofado – the process of layering of gold leaf and then paint particularly on sculptures made of wood. They would reveal the gold leaf by scratching the top layer of paint off. The polychromer can scratch or scrape the design off the reveal the gold underneath.

As well as scratching it off I’d heard the gold leaf was used under paintings to help make the painting itself glow – especially the flesh tones. So I tried that too. I think it did work. There was a finish to the facial area that felt more vibrant. The final picture. Click on it to get a close up of the detail.

Video Music: Daydream by Danny Sharp

Tell me what you think.

Encaustic Painting

SharpArt — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:07:46 +0000

Had never heard of this! A very old and intermittently re-found technique which uses bees wax and pigments to paint or model paint with. The bees wax has to be heated so it can be manipulated. It seems it was first used for Egyptian mummies – but looking at the style of these paintings – with a more Romanesque style.

People near

Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts

will be able to see demonstrations of this strange technique at their Arts Festival this weekend.