Figure 1 Lady Be Good
Figure 2 Lady Be Very Good
Figure 3 Step one texture on canvas, drawing loose
So how did these ladies come about? The original stimulus was a Mexican mask . . . as I worked the layers of the mask painting, she appeared. The first lady was sold to a collectorin Mississippi; the second is a commission for a collector in South Carolina. The process for painting both ladies is the same. First (Figure 3) I textured a canvas with tile adhesive following my original drawing. I covered the canvas with white gesso and sanded the surface until smooth with an electric sander.
Figure 4 black gesso
Then I covered the canvas with black gesso and sanded back revealing vestiges of my original drawing. . . I sanded back until I was satisfied with textures and shapes; several, at least 7 sandings were necessary. I applied a coat of mat medium to hold the images and create depth. The next step (Chapter 2) will be laying in the colors!
