Jul 12, 2022
I want to start with a particular piece that experienced a lot of changes, and possible disaster, before it was completed. Around 2020 my dad sent me a picture of my mom and asked me to make him a painting in my own style. I could have done anything. I wasn't sure how to create the piece or what to do.
For my dad, this was his favorite photo of my mom. I guess it was around the time they met. I knew that no matter what, I had to do the photo justice.
I initially started sketching out the photo, using a piece of charcoal. I figured out the shapes that I wanted to have, and what worked. I then moved to a larger canvas.
And so far it was going good. I felt like on its own, minimalistic, it was nice. Maybe a little too heavy compared tot he photo. The canvas is about 48"w x 60" high. It's heavy on its own.
I decided to add layers of medium gel to create a depth. I didn't know where I was going, but I hoped it would look good. It didn't. But I thought I could save it. I took a tub of spackle and started spreading that around the portrait. This gave the depth I really wanted. There was a distance between the subject and the viewer, behind a wall, and glassy gel.
On top of the spackle, I penned in a farsi proverb that there is a passage between two hearts.
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