untitled as yet

24x36" oil on canvas  in progress

OK, so I'm breaking my "in-progress" rule. I will finish this! I will finish this!

A few weeks ago we visited The Brooklyn Museum which is in, of all places, Brooklyn, to specifically take a look at the winner of Bravo's Work or Art reality show. His name is Abdi and I believe him to be uber-gifted. It was incredibly inspiring to see his work up close and personal. His treatment of shadow, mid-tone and highlight is, for me, very Sargent-esque. I spent a good deal of time standing in front of his work, just soaking it in.

Anyway I brought my camera along hoping to capture some good reference shots of other visitors, standing casually around gazing thoughtfully at the artwork, sculpture and exhibits. We were in the building all of 10 minutes when I spied this incredible creature strolling around taking in the sights. It is New York after all, one expects to see interesting humans clad in extremely unique vestments, but I was beside myself when I saw this girl. She had a companion with her, equally uniquely attired and I asked them to sit for a a few shots which they were happy to do.

But this girl, just by virtue of walking around, provided the most incredible opportunities for great shots, however the very first shot I took was exactly what I was looking for. I thought perhaps I could combine a few shots to create the perfect composition, but in this particular shot her head is at just the right angle, her toes turned inward as she balanced gracefully on the four inch thick sole of her "bootie/shoes" and most importantly, some really great detail of that glorious Betty Boop jacket.

And to top that all off, the palette is limited! Every shade and hue of her outfit seems to compliment her surroundings. I'm limited by my reference! Who knew? Looks like this might be a good way to slip into the limited palette thing I've been avoiding for 2 months.