A Dream Commission!
Houston beauty Josephine and her parents are world travelers and art collectors. They particularly love this portrait by the Spanish master Velázquez.
Having designed their home to accommodate large pieces of art, the wall where they are planning to hang the portrait is perfect! No size limitations! Josephine’s beautiful dress was purchased especially for her portrait from Harrods of London.
I have spent much time studying the technique and palette of Velasquez. For Josephine’s portrait, I began by toning the linen canvas with raw umber. I then did an underpainting using the grisaille technique which was employed by Velasquez, Vermeer and other Old Masters. I began with an underpainting in a grayscale of ultramarine blue mixed with burnt Sienna and white. On top of this I applied thin translucent layers of color to achieve glowing skin tones .
I have been using a variation of Velázquez’ palette for years, since my time studying under John Howard Sanden in New York City. This palette consists of:
Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean Blue, Viridian, Chromium Oxide Green, Alizarin Crimson, Raw Umber, Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna, Cadmium Orange, Venetian Red, Cadmium Red Light, Yellow Ochre and Cadmium Yellow Light, White and Ivory Black. (I prefer Permelba White, a buttery mixture of Titanium and Zinc White)
Because of the process of painting in layers with drying time in between, I've had Josephine around my studio for quite some time! I'm going to miss her!
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