Portrait Artist Forum - The Country Vet

Hello, this is my first post and I must admit I feel a little intimidated to be in such esteemed company.

My name is Graeme Hindmarsh, I'm 47 and, although I've studied life drawing when I was much younger and painting 4 years ago as part of a BA degree, I am not a professional artist. Art has always been a part of my life, both professional and private - one of the few constants in a rich and varied experience. I'd always promised myself that when I got older, I'd make time to paint. Well, thankfully, that time has finally arrived!

I started this painting about 3 years ago. It's called "The Country Vet" and is a portrait of an old friend. It was ambitious, perhaps a little too ambitious, measuring 54" x 36". I enjoyed the process - from drawing the cartoon, stretching and preparing a fine linen canvas (which was a joy to paint on after the cotton canvas we used at art school!), transferring the cartoon to the canvas, imprimatura and then finally painting.

Perhaps it was a mistake made through lack of experience, but I built up layers of glazes using liquin (liquol) as the medium, intensifying and modifying the colours and adding detail with each layer. I wanted to achieve a luminosity and depth of tone and colour. Everything seemed to be going according to plan until I tried to tackle painting the grass and then it all fell apart. My attempt was completely inept and I was profoundly disappointed with my efforts. Although I'd pawed over dozens of books of artists who painted grass the way I wanted, I made the mistake of painting what I knew to be there rather than what I actually saw. This put the grass at loggerhead with everything else in the painting. I put it aside, trying to work out what to do with it. That was 3 years ago.

The painting never progressed beyond this underpainting stage and even that is not finished. The eyes, for instance, have not even been started and I am at a loss to know what to do with the rest of it. Has the work I've done already compromised the rest of the painting? Can I overpaint with a grisaille? Can anything be done to save it or should I scrap it and start anew? Please be candid with your comments, I'm not easily offended! I would like to learn from my mistakes and would welcome your advice and experience. Thank you in advance.

I'd also like to thank Cynthia Daniel for providing such a wonderful, remarkable and refreshing resource.

Best wishes,
Graeme