Tangerine Dreams

 "Tangerine" 5’ X 5' Acrylic and Oil on canvas. 2001

This painting was influenced heavily by the model herself, a bright, vivacious, and incredibly beautiful young woman who’s main source of beauty flowed not only from her physical appearance but also from her lack of acknowledgment of those features. The challenge, I thought, was to have her pose without posing, to capture her beauty without her reflecting on the fact I was having her pose for a painting. Either by force of emotion or my lack of ability at the time to render my model realistically, the painting became much more about the spirit of my model. I imagined a beauty so fair that Gollum and the Evil One would creep up and make away with her. Her youthful exuberance and summer-girl vibe had me throwing myself into the work to the point it became a giant mess with which I wrestled to achieve my vision. This was my first critique work at PAFA. Although its sheer size made quite an impression, most of my colleagues commented on the overwhelming scent of the oils and Damar varnish that filled the large viewing room. I displayed this in the art store I worked in and received a commission work as a result - my first!  A casual viewer came in to look at the piece and told me, wistfully, upon close view of the lips, that it looked as if she’d been kissed. Something about that comment has always stuck with me, and I find myself focusing on those types of ideas-certain features or feelings- when I’m working on a painting.

To purchase a reproduction of this work visit my online store at https://society6.com/product/tangerine-vnb_print#s6-757984p4a1v46