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The Spirit of Painting
Date
November 2021
Medium
Oil on canvas
Size
36x48"
Availability
private collection
The largest and most complex painting I've done to date. I spent about eight months working pretty steadily in the evening and on my few days off. I have no idea how long it took, many, many hours.
I painted her as the patron spirit for our art shop, embodying creativity and painting itself. I tried to paint her in the style of the old Masters, inspired by my favourites such as Waterhouse, Bouguereau, Draper, Godward, Alma-Tadema, Leighton, etc.
I also painted it with the traditional technique of first painting it in grisaille (grey scale), then building up layers and glazes overtop until I was satisfied with the result. It was laborious, but I definitely learned a lot in the process.
I framed her in Grecian gold to befit the era, and she hangs in our shop "The Painted Lady" as a permanent store guardian