revising paintings – Katie Jeanne Wood

On the easel – work in progress

Flowers in Her Hair
WIP

I found a stack of paintings that I need to revise, so I’m focusing on 3 old portraits, and a figure painting this week. I’m rotating them back and forth from my work table to the drying table. When I get bored with one, I switch it out for another, and the process seems to go faster since I’m not sitting around waiting for paint to dry. I thought I’d show you some photos as I work through this portrait painting.

Flowers in Her Hair
WIP
Reshaping her head & face

I used to write “on the easel” blog posts to show my work in progress quite often. I’m not sure why I stopped writing those posts. Maybe because technically I don’t paint using an easel much anymore. If you remember, back in the spring, I had to dig the easel out of the corner where it had been sitting for the past 2.5 years.

Flowers in Her Hair
WIP

Since the easel has been usable again, my husband has taken it over. He’s got some large pieces he’s working on, so I’ve been back working at my table again. As you can probably see, the table is quite small, and I don’t have much room for anything larger than maybe 12×12 inches.

Flowers in Her Hair
WIP

I had planned on finishing up several large canvases over the summer (I have large boxes full of them), but that will have to wait. After the fiasco with the canvas that hangs over my couch, which took me months, and still isn’t completed, I kinda lost interest, not to mention my confidence when painting large. haha Yup, I’m still licking my wounds over that one #$#$@ painting.

Flowers in Her Hair
WIP

I’m sure the urge to paint larger will return sometime, and then I’ll boot my husband off my easel. lol Or, I’ll wait until spring and paint outside, maybe? For now, I’m happy to be in my comfort zone, painting smaller pieces, and revising these old portraits.

Flowers in Her Hair
WIP
Yes, I know how scary she looks right now
lol

Even though I’m not painting on my easel, I’m thinking of bringing the posts back anyway. This painting is obviously a hot mess of “Not Finished Yet”, so I’ll see what I can get done, and maybe have an update tomorrow. xo Have a lovely Tuesday.

Covid Weary Oil Portrait Painting – Work in Progress Shots

Covid Weary
Oil portrait painting
WIP

This is an image heavy post. I hope the page loads okay for you. I must have been attached to my phone the day I revised this painting because I took a ton of progress shots, which isn’t like me. I don’t usually like stopping to take photos when I paint, but looking back at it now, I’m glad I did.

As always, if you’d like to see these photos full size, be sure to visit my blog. If you’re receiving my post via email, the photos will look smaller..that’s how it appears in my email, anyway.

I’m going through a box of older oil portraits, and revising them. Seems like that’s all I’m doing this year – revising paintings, but it’s okay. I actually enjoy the process because I get a new painting to look at when I’m finished. ATM, it seems easier than staring at a blank canvas wondering what I’m going to paint. Gotta keep moving forward through the sludge of 2020 somehow.

Most of these have something I like about them, but they look flat to me..not enough shadow, detail, emotion or definition. I used to be uncomfortable painting in the shadows, but with years of practice, I don’t give it a thought. It’s only paint, and anything can be painted over, changed or fixed. I never throw out a painting I’m unhappy with, I revise it or paint over it, instead.

I think I originally painted these oil portraits back in 2011 – 2015ish. Most of the heads are misshapen, mouths are too small, foreheads and eyes are way too big. Don’t get me wrong, these characteristics can give a painting personality, make it humorous or unique, but it can also make a portrait ugly. It’s a fine line to walk. It really depends what my goal is at the time.

If I’m painting outsider art style or in my art journals, the weirder, funkier, funnier, and uglier my portraits look, the better I like them. I’m going for a middle of the road, painterly style with these. I usually lean more towards realistic when I paint with oils, but not too realistic. I don’t feel like spending a lifetime on one painting. lol

I liked her eyes, but because I had to change the entire shape of her face (cheeks were too high, and weirdly shaped in the original, so I brought her hair down over her face), I had to move her eyes inward. I decided to change her eye color because I didn’t have any blue on my palette at the time.

I didn’t used to like painting noses, and hers was too small, so not to be noticeable. I widened it, and I think it fits her face better now.

My ultimate goal is to go through this box, and bring the paintings up to speed. I hope to give each one a little more character, and to help bring them alive on the canvas. I’m just painting off the top of my head with no reference photo, making it up as I go along..which is my preferred way of painting.

The paintings I’m okay with selling “as is” will probably be marked down, and sold in a clearance sale I started on Etsy last week. Right now there are more abstracts on sale than anything, but I’ll be adding more portraits soon. Either that or I’ll put them in my eBay store with low starting bids. I need to make room for the new paintings I’ll be creating over the winter.

And now the finished painting..
Ta da!!

Definitely not perfect, but there is no such thing as a perfect painting..ask any artist, and they’ll point out all the flaws in their work in a heartbeat. I’m not going to do that because I find it self-deprecating, and unhelpful. What’s the point?

My goal has been reached, and I’m happy. I fixed the areas that bothered me, and gave her a whole new look. I like the outcome, so this exercise was a success. Her facial expression definitely matches the new title I gave her – Covid Weary.

Available here

If you made it through this extremely long post, thank you. I generally try to keep it shorter, but once in a while it’s good to let loose, and give it my all. 🙂

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Luck, Luck, Luck

Friday, April 5th

It’s been a crazy upside kind of day. Had lots of life going on, which took me away from my studio. But hey, I managed to update my About page last night. Check it out if you’re curious! 🙂

Saturday, April 6th

Leaves are coming out, and the grass is long enough to cut now.
80F to 85F is in the forecast for the next several days.

I started working on a new Youtube channel today. I’m still going to keep my Miz Katie channel for portraits, but I’ve decided (finally!!) that I need a separate channel for my palette knife paintings. Now here comes my dilemma. I’m not sure which channel I want to use when I upload videos for 31 days in May. Hm..decisions. If you have a preference let me know in the comments. Portraits or palette knife painting?

Sunday, April 7th

Foggy morning

As soon as I saw how foggy it was, I had to get outside to photograph it quickly before it was gone. When I pulled this photo up in photoshop, I saw the bird flying into the trees. I didn’t see him this morning.

My grandmother used to say “luck, luck, luck” in her thick New England accent every time she saw a lone crow or blackbird. I think the superstition was if you saw one bird alone it meant you were doomed for sorrow because the bird had lost its mate. Saying “luck, luck, luck” immediately reversed your bad luck, and all was well.

If my grandmother saw two birds together it meant she was going to have good luck (or was it joy?) that day, and 3 birds meant it was time to check the post office box. She was going to get a letter (let-TAH). 😀

I’m not superstitious, but upon seeing the bird in this photo, I quickly said out loud, “luck, luck, luck”. I’d advise you to do the same..from now on. Life is difficult. Don’t want to take any chances. 😉

portrait painting

I’ll have to look at her later, and decide, but I think I finally finished her today.

BEFORE

It’s been a long studio day. I pulled a HUGE stack paintings out of storage, so I can revise them. Now that my storage space is limited to a tiny broom closet, I’m definitely not going to keep paintings around that I don’t like. I’m going to spend the next few months revising paintings, but it will be worth it.

The one above is one I painted about 4 years ago, but never offered it for sale because I didn’t like it. After giving it a second look, I like the comp, but the colors were all wrong for my style.

AFTER
drying in the sun

Available here

Monday, April 8th

Pink & white abstract farmhouse painting
Available here

These are the paintings I revised on Sunday. I’m very happy with how they came out. Can you believe one of these used to be a portrait painting?

Pink & white abstract palette knife painting
Available here

White & blue abstract farmhouse painting
Available here

I filmed the process of revising these paintings, and you’ll be able to see how I did it in upcoming videos.

Tuesday, April 9th

Late night in the studio last night. I filmed the making of these two abstract paintings.

The boldness of endurance is
the underline to almost every success.
– Mary Anne Radmacher

Wednesday, April 10th

I spent the entire day with my pal Photoshop today. After a painting spree, I know I have days of work ahead of me photographing, scanning, and editing the photos..kinda takes the fun out of painting for me, if I think of all the work I’m making for myself while I’m painting.

Sooo,
no painting today.
Just 14 hours spent
in Photoshop,
so how about
a photo or two?

I think these abstracts deserve a bit of the spotlight. All the layers are quite lovely when seen up close. This one happens to be my favorite.

Thursday, April 11th

I’m going to leave you with some cute furbaby pics.

Harold hugging his chicken

A drawer full of Sweet Pea

Miss Maudie Maude & Har-wold Har-bear
Yes, I talk baby talk to my furbabies,
and give them all kinds of nicknames.
And?!
😀 😀 😀

A drawer full of Harold

Upside Harold & Chew Chew

Hope you’re having a great week. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.

Revising mini portrait paintings

Since I’m on a roll
revising Halloween paintings,
I figured I might as well keep going.

Meditating girl

Norwegian Girl
acrylic portrait painting

Polka dot scarf portrait painting

Masquerade Masks Portrait Paintings
being listed now

While working I’ve been listening to Simon and Garfunkel’s greatest hits, Songs of Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave: The Good Son, Eminem’s new songs, and 4 part interview.

Last night I watched several documentaries on youtube, and found a slew of artists to follow: Salvador Dali doc, Sparta 300, collection of 825 Van Gogh paintings, Ray Johnson, Peter Blake, Andreas Gursky, Basquiat Boom for Real, Dali and Duchamp, James Turrell & Rachel Whiteread. Yes, I went on quite a YT watching spree, and I haven’t even started listing all the new artists (to me) I found.

I actually binge watch youtube quite often (much more than Netflix) because the selection is so awesome, and bingeing helps me decompress. Most of these weren’t full documentaries. The Van Gogh one was the most relaxing, and I think I nodded off a few times while watching it. I will be watching that one again soon.

Tonight I’m planning on watching The Fake Van Gogh’s Counterfeit art documentary. If you have time, check out the first comment under the doc by Alexandra Zeres. I think she has a valid point. “Have we become that pretentious?” Unfortunately, yes.

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Revising Halloween paintings

Revising Halloween paintings
Work in progress

Those who have followed me for a while know
I used to paint a lot of masquerade mask portrait paintings,
like, a lot, a lot.
And then I stopped.
Because, nothing lasts forever,
y’know?

Over my summer hiatus I found a stash
of 4×4 miniatures
hanging out behind the scenes.
Because I painted them so long ago,
all were in desperate need of
revision. So I figured,
why not?

Once these are finished,
it’s hard to say if or when I’ll paint more.

I’m trying to hurry,
so I can
get them revised, photographed,
and listed here in my shop before Halloween.
I’m also listing them in my Etsy shop
so these are time sensitive,
and might not last long.
First come, first serve basis.

I’ll be adding more as I finish them,
but these are
one of a kind original paintings.
If you see one you like,
get it while you can.

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Revised floral painting No 113 – Daily Painting day 191

BEFORE

This one didn’t need a lot of revising, imo, but it did need some. I like it much better now that the flower doesn’t blend so much into the background.

AFTER
daily painting: 365 day art project
Day 191

Available here
Prints are available here

And just like that..another month has ended, and a new one has begun. January was my favorite month of daily painting by far. I was able to record a bunch of videos, and get my youtube channel going again. Really happy about that because it’s been sitting there neglected for six months.

I also was able to find a nice groove doing the 365 day project, finally. I didn’t realize how much I was struggling with it until I wasn’t anymore. I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders when I started going with the natural organic flow of the day, every day, rather than having a rigid theme to follow. I’m so much happier now.

Your life is the manifestation of your dream;
it is an art.
You can change your life anytime if
you aren’t enjoying the dream.
– don Miguel Ruiz

So, no theme, no pressure to finish a painting daily, and no daily blogging are my new “rules” for the remainder of the 365 day project. I work best when I don’t box myself in like that.

So, here’s to month 7 of painting daily, which is magically spread out before me. This month I hope to get some more paintings revised, and perhaps give my art journal some attention. Nothing crazy. I’m pacing myself because I have 5 more months to go before I get a day off.

What do you hope to accomplish during this short winter month in your studio? Let me know in the comments below.

Linking to PPF.