Posts made in October, 2008

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Gouache on Raymar panel, 9 x 12″

Here in the US, we’re finally down to the last eight days of an election that seems to have gone on for years. Oh, wait, it HAS gone on for years! After two years of non-stop election coverage, I wonder what they’ll find to talk about on CNN once it’s over? I guess there’s always the economy.

I had the privilege of seeing Mr. Obama speak a few weeks ago, and he’s quite a striking figure, with a tall, graceful body and the kind of face that begs to be painted. I used every color but brown in my palette here, going strong on the blues, purples, oranges, and pinks. And of course there are the blazing reds in the underpaintig. I didn’t realize until this moment that I’ve accidentally created a patriotic red, white, and blue color scheme.

I’ll probably be doing some more Obamas in the coming week.

“ Oil painting on Raymar panel, 6 x 8" (sold)

I feel like the kid who just got my homework in early! This is my response to Week 8 of Karin Jurick’s “Different Strokes” challenge. Compared to the last challenge, this one went quickly, and it was a lot easier than I expected.

"New York Stock Exchange" a painting by Lesley Spanos, copyright 2008

“New York Stock Exchange”
Acrylic painting on paper, 7.5 x 16″

Here’s another one painted for Karin Jurick’s “Different Strokes” weekly challenge. You can see her original photo on the Week 6-7 thread on her blog. It was quite complex, and a small image, so not much detail was available. I guess that’s a good thing – it keeps me from going too crazy with the detail. (Yeah, like I didn’t anyway!)

The floor was one of the first things I laid down. I was going to start bright with the underpainting, then overpaint it with a duller color. But the yellow reminded me of a Van Gogh floor (albeit brighter than his), so I left it that way. Yellow is almost universally used to suggest cheerfulness, but as I painted, I realized that Van Gogh had a knack for making yellow look somber and somewhat mad. If a headache had a color, it would be the throbbing yellow of a Van Gogh floor. It’s a color that says, “I’ve gone insane because the floor keeps me awake at night.” Maybe not a bad color for the trading floor after two weeks of financial chaos.

I might add more people later. For now, I need a break from painting little men in ugly smocks!

Acrylic painting of the Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago by Lesley Spanos. Copyright 2008, all rights reserved.

“Da Bean” 12 x 9″ acrylic on panel

Talk about being late – this one was supposed to be done by October 8 so I could send it to Karin Jurick for her Week 5 challenge on “Different Strokes From Different Folks.”

But somehow I got lost in a gloomy diptych which was probably way too challenging for a quick project like this. That’s the bottom image, still in progress.

"The Day The Met" and "The Day They Married" by Lesley Spanos. Copyright 2008, all rights reserved.

I don’t know how it got so dark and depressing, because that wasn’t what I was going for. I think maybe I was reacting to the gloom and doom surrounding the economic collapse in the US, and it came out in my painting. Maybe one of these days I’ll try to finish it, because I like the concept. My intent was to put the couple making out under the bean in the left panel, and the same couple having their photo taken on their wedding day on the right panel. Maybe I’ll keep the rain on the left side, and make the right side a sunnier day.

(Now maybe I shouldn’t point this out, but doesn’t the left-hand panel remind you of Eric Cartman mooning? All I can see is a big, fat cartoon butt.)

The much brighter piece at the top of this post is an acrylic I did at the last minute just so I’d have something to turn in, but not fast enough to get it to Karin for her to put it on her blog. It’s listed on my Boundless Gallery space for $70, shipping included.

An oil painting of minature white pumpkins by Lesley Spanos, copyright 2008.

“Shhhh! She’s coming!”
8 x 6″ oil painting on Raymar archival panel

When I saw Karin Jurick’s photo on this week’s Different Strokes From Different Folks challenge, the image that stuck in my head was two mini white pumpkins gossiping about a third. I don’t know what that says about me!