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Candace X. Moore: November 2014
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New Art Studio Lighting System. For the last few years my easel has been lit by 2 19W BlueMax CFL. Bulbs I liked the quality of the light, but there were two problems with this set up. First, the spot lights created glare and hot spots on the canvas. Second, they weren't bright enough on their own, I needed some daylight, too. That meant I could only paint at certain times of the day. Very frustrating. My old easel lighting.2 spots with 19W Blue Max cfl's. I can paint exclusively under these lights, so n...
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Candace X. Moore: July 2014
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Slow Painting Alla Prima. Alla prima portrait painting is challenging because of the time constraint.usually less than 3 hours. It's high energy.no time to waste. I learned this approach in art school, watching instructors slap down the paint during demonstrations. As I develop my own skills, I realize that fast is okay if you're already a skilled painter, but for students, slow makes for more sense for effective learning. 9x12", oil on linen. That mentioned a book called " The Practicing Mind. Above) du...
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Candace X. Moore: May 2014
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Portrait Sketches in Charcoal. Today I'm posting a few charcoal sketches, drawn from life in 2-3 hours. Drawing is nice.forget color.just focus on shape, edge and value. For these sketches, I used both vine charcoal and Wolffs carbon pencil. Vine charcoal produces a delicate mark, easily erased with a chamois or finger. It's nice for the lay-in of a drawing or painting where correction is often required. With a vine charcoal lay-in you can make major changes without leaving dark lines behind. For me, it ...
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Candace X. Moore: April 2014
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Developing a Procedure for Alla Prima Portrait Painting. 12x9" oil on linen, painted in 3 hours from life. 12x9" oil on linen, painted in 3 hours from life. Compose the image; block in the big shapes. Premix paint piles for average skin tones in light and shadow. Add the darkest dark and lightest light for reference. Loosely paint the big shapes, including background, hair and clothes. Second pass on big shapes; adjust colors and correct drawing errors. First pass on features and details. Get the new edi...
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Candace X. Moore: December 2014
http://candacexmoore.blogspot.com/2014_12_01_archive.html
Portrait in Oil of My Mother. 10x16", Oil on board. A new painting titled "Well Done".a portrait of my mother. It is a 2014 Mother's Day present I am finally delivering. I painted her once before in 2012 from a photo taken in 2006. The difference between these is a change of palette and a couple years of painting experience. And she's 8 years older. Nancy L. Moore 2006. 12 x 16", Oil on linen. I tried something new here, painting the color study on drafting vellum. Color study on drafting vellum, 5"x8".
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Candace X. Moore: February 2014
http://candacexmoore.blogspot.com/2014_02_01_archive.html
Today, a fresh commission of 3-years-old Eli. Kids this age cannot sit still, so getting usable images is a numbers game. I shot 300 photos to get the reference I needed. This painting is a composite of 3 shots. His grandmother propped a doll on top of my head while I was shooting, to get him to look towards the camera. Whatever it takes. Here is the completed portrait, unframed. Portrait of Eli at 3. 2014, 16x12", Oil on linen. For your interest.if you have questions on my process, leave a comment&#...
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Candace X. Moore: March 2015
http://candacexmoore.blogspot.com/2015_03_01_archive.html
Panel 3 of the Amanda Triptych. I'm finally finishing this little series with the 3rd panel of the Amanda Triptych. This panel took a while to finish because of those downcast eyes.very challenging. The perspective is complicated. For guidance, I looked to works by Michael Borremans. They both seem to favor downcast eyes. Amanda Triptych (panel 3). 11x14", oil on board. For context, here are all 3 panels together, as they will eventually hang. 14" x 33" oil on board. Rembrandt workshop artist, 1650.
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Candace X. Moore: April 2015
http://candacexmoore.blogspot.com/2015_04_01_archive.html
Painted Portrait for a Friend.and Chuck Close on Inspiration. 11x14" oil on board. Inspiration is for amateurs. The present portrait was painted on gessoed MDF primed with Golden Acrylics Neutral Gray (N6). There are actually a lot of visible brushstrokes, which you can see in the detail below. It looks gauzy and blended from a distance because the values are close together. Here it is framed. And finally, a bonus for reading this far. a link to more on Chuck Close's artistic philosophy. 9x12 oil on board.
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Candace X. Moore: October 2013
http://candacexmoore.blogspot.com/2013_10_01_archive.html
My Portrait Process: Second Step is the Color Study. Also called the color comp. More experienced artists skip this step, but I find it useful. I don't want to get bogged down in the big painting with problems I could have spotted in the color comp. Portrait of Kirk (color comp). 12x9", oil on linen. I use color comps for all the following reasons:. Work through the palette to be used in the painting. Define the light patterns and color temperatures to produce convincing form. At this stage, I also work ...
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Candace X. Moore: June 2014
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Portrait of a Young Man.and What Martha Graham Said About It. A new portrait commission fresh off the easel."Young Man with Cat and Coffee". The subject is a young man of 21.the cat and coffee are his favorite things. Young Man with Cat and Coffee. 18x24" oil on linen. I don't track how long a piece takes to complete anymore, but this one took a while.at least 60 hours. As with every painting I undertake, I learned a huge amount in the process, which makes the time spent worth it. I like the kitty. John ...
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