An end is in sight: painting my “Not #MeToo” piece for Art Prize 10
I am making slow, but steady progress on creating my giant Not #MeToo: No More Casting Couch painting. I can’t wait to see it in the Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids during Art Prize in September! I just hope that the public there will like the work and vote for it!
Our son Nicholas hangs out with me while I’m painting. He has been studying for a final exam, so he’s giving me an overview of what he learned in his cell biology class. I listen with one ear, while I’m concentrating on touching up the details in this 7-foot tall by 14-foot wide acrylic on canvas painting.
On Madeline’s arms, I employ methods that I learned during the first Figurative Art Convention & Expo that I attended in Miami in November 2017. At the time, I was not sure just how much I absorbed from hearing famous figurative artists talk about their techniques, particularly since most of them work in oil, and I use acrylics. But as I am working on this piece, I realize that I am striving for exactly the kind of balance between sharpness and soft edges that the teachers there talked about. If you’d like to read more about what I learned at the convention, please read the following blog post on my website: What I learned at the Figurative Art Convention
My glass painting palette is ready with paint on one side for dealing with the edges of the canvas, and the other for completing the background. I have to make sure the background is a warm black, so that it contrasts with the cooler black of Madeline’s leotard and skirt and Harvey Weinstein’s charcoal grey suit.
Once again, I am on the floor, working on Alexandra’s tutu. That and her blonde hair have turned out to be the most challenging aspects of creating this artwork.
I am checking the dryness of the paint as I’m in the last stages of the painting process for making this large piece. When it’s done, I need to disassemble it, roll it up, and take it back to the painting studio in Clearwater at St. Petersburg College where I teach. There, it will be professionally photographed, then varnished, and then I need to build a frame for this artwork. While doing the painting itself is the most difficult part of this project, it is by no means done!
Check back with me soon to see how the professional photos turned out!
To see my entire portfolio of paintings, please check out www.kevingrass.art! You can purchase original paintings and fine art print reproductions directly from my website.
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