After some research in the private art market, I came to conclusion that the most profitable works are commissioned portraits. My dilemma was how I could make contemporary portraits that would be in the ultimate fashion, to meet the taste of the possible new generation clientele? My concern was also not to fall within the ‘so boring’ repeatable or traditional portrait style methods but to offer something new, exiting and creative.
I made an absolutely big research into black and white photography (forever in style), interior design, cat walk color trends, women magazines and lady’s shop windows.
These ‘new age’ portraits are in a style that I am willing to explore further. I have worked from real photos of myself and female friends, in high contrasting tones; adding hair extensions, exaggerating eyelashes, bighting clothes and painting them sexier than ever…
They offer a post-photography period, where the real pictures, each one of them are transformed into an individual piece of art for your eyes only. Enjoy!
Angela,
These are startling — both like and unlike work you’ve shown us before. That is, the faces have affinities with your mystical creatures, but the bold style is totally elsewhere.
I like them, I think. But I wonder — do you enjoy doing them? Do you attach any kind of meaning to them as a whole — that is, did your research make you see things beyond the commercial value of the images?
For me, they seem to be what a certain generation of women would like to be seen as — it’s as artificial a view as the views presented in the past, even if it is bolder. The women all seem to be challenging in their sexuality and except for the second, lying down one, refusing us access to much more than their stylized “beauty” and sex appeal. They don’t speak to me as people, which is what I enjoy in a portrait.
Just my opinion, of course, and of course, your skills are superb and your research has certainly paid off — you have done what you set out to do, and done it totally.
Me again,
I fear that my comments above might seem a bit harsh and I didn’t mean them in that way. I think you have succeeded superbly in making a contemporary style, one which will undoubtedly be eminently saleable. Your work matchs your intentions precisely. That’s an amazing accomplishment, to have the two match up so well.
Your painting skill and analytic accomplishments are superb.
My comments were really a result of remembering the other Angela’s work, the soft mystical material. The leap you make between the two is formidable.
Angela,
Good hearing from you again!
How would you portrait my mother, an almost 90-yr old person? All her life, she paid a great deal of attention to her looks. My daughter considers her two grandmothers the vainest persons that she knows.
Angela,
That’s very interesting that you started with research into black and white photography, and kept that strong patterns and tonal design in your paintings, which of course add your carefully chosen colors in an evocative more than realistic way. I’m not well versed in this area, but I think this approach gives you a personal style which really stands out.
This partial departure from reality leaves you a lot of room to adapt each painting to bring out some personality aspect that you choose or the subject wants. It seems thats where a lot of the creativity and interest will be.
One thing I especially like here is the interaction of the subject with the background. Your white hat flattens into the leaf pattern, the hair of the second merges with the black lace and overflows the left edge, the third and fifth also have black hair joining into and playing off the wall pattern. The next to last is more like a poster.
Angela,
Your trademark is the beautiful, flowing lines. Each picture is stunning in its own way.
Picture one at first looked sort-of obvious until I defocused from the face and looked at the surroundings, the harmony between the bolder pattern of the background with the subtle pattern of the hat and appreciated how the hat reflected onto the face. The colors are magnificent too, the pinks and blues.
In the second picture, I am delighted by the interplay of the different reds in the background pattern, the dress and the lipstick. The texture of the woman’s body is brilliantly hinted at.
In the third picture, I love the subtleness of the blue dress playing with the blue eyes. Here the correspondences are strongly vertical, the blues and horizontal, the reds, against the richness of the curving lines.
My favorite picture is the next one. The posture of the woman against flora and fauna is breath taking. Again, the blues and reds are great.
The last one is a change with the spiky hair and the zebra-like stripes. I had not seen you picturing anything whimsical before. Here, only the apple and bosom of the woman are curvaceous.
Your new style is breath taking. Good luck!
Angela:
Yes, welcome back.
Interesting new direction. I’m particularly drawn to the first portrait of the woman in a hat. To my eyes it has a fine integration of elements. The hat brim gets to me as it seems to have a life of its own. It cast no shadow over the sitter’s brow. My favored interpretation would be that the sitter projects the glow of a bright mind. I would comment that the picture, when seen on the wall behind you, comes across a little differently and I wonder if a thin line defining the border of the hat wouldn’t be a good finishing touch.
Jay,
I disagree about the thin line.
Birgit:
Tell me more. Are you saying that the hat is fine as is? I went back for a second look and may tend to agree with you.
Jay,
I was hesitant to state my reason because it is semi-mystical. No having a border on the hat allows the face to communicate with the universe. Dare to laugh!
Angela,
I want to add my welcome back, too. You’ve been really working!
And as usual, our colleagues here on A&P are very perceptive, more so than I. So welcome back!
Angela,
… except the Rose is really there.
Touching is sexy.
Birgit:
Hats Without Borders. I love it. The best hat for the purpose – it would seem – is a straw hat whose periphery is composed of a radial array of unwoven straws: a vegetable antenna receiving and transmitting. In this context, Angela’s hat and person are as one.
These works are wonderful. I love some of the stark contrasts present in the patterns vs. the complexities of the human form.
Wonderful!
Thank you everyone for sharing your comments, its always so interesting to read what others have to say…
More I’ll post in the future I promisse!