Native American

Leslie Ficcaglia · 08-02-2004, 09:36 PM

This is stunning, Jane. I admire the way you've made the costume so bold, yet balanced it by the almost carved nature of his face, the fuzziness of the feathers, and the soft trees in the background. The different textures are juxtaposed beautifully. I agree that the red reflection could be softened a bit but otherwise I really like it as is. It also manages to offer a fresh vision of a Native American, which is very appealing.

Linda Brandon · 08-04-2004, 12:00 AM

Hi Jane,

I love this composition - the spiky dark feathers are so commanding, and I always like the way you've handled your paint in a sure and direct method.

Like you, I am very tempted by color reflections in bright sunlight on the unlit side of the face. To me, it's the
best reason to paint under outdoor lighting conditions. I'll bet the color on his face was this intense in reality. If you can keep it in the same value range as the rest of the unlit side of the face, I say, push it!

You're starting to remind me of Ron Riddick's work. If you've never visited his "Native American" page on his website it would be very interesting to you. I love the way he handles outdoor color in bright sunlight conditions.

Jane Bradley · 08-04-2004, 12:30 AM

Leslie -Thanks very much. I was really struck with this boy - we happened to be seeking shade behind the stands near his family at a pow wow, and with my trusty sony grabbed some pictures of him. His face was wonderful, sweet, and showed the intensity he was feeling - I also caught him sleeping , looking like a little boy, exhausted, with his feathers on his lap. I will definitely paint that picture some day

Linda,
Thanks so much for telling me about Ron Riddick's work. I LOVE his colors - I will definitely study this guy. I am going to desaturate this in photoshop and see if I am missing on the value in the red reflection - I already checked out backing off on the intensity of the reflection in photoshop and it seemed to work pretty well, but I noticed that it seemed a little light - that may be the problem. Thanks again for your input!!