Self portrait study 1

Self Portrait Study 1

8x10 Oil on Gallery Stretched Canvas

Beverly Gurganus

I have found comfort in painting from photos... Lighting never changes, subject never moves, and I can work at my leisure.  As I continue to grow, I find myself dissatisfied with settling in my comfort zone.  I was inspired by another artist who is an amazing portrait artist with beautiful self portraits.  So...yesterday I dug out a large mirror from the attic, cleaned it off, propped it up, and adjusted the lighting as best as I could in my studio then got to work.  I tried to limit my time sketching and gave myself permission to just experiment without great expectations.

Most of my recent portraits have been of cooler flesh tones so it took me a bit of trial and error mixing my olive skin tones.  I think I will try a few more selfie studies; then I will start enlisting other models...better keep my friends and family happy 😉