An Angry-Looking Child

Fall Open Studios is this weekend and I am "frantically" (okay, maybe not so frantically, more like enthusiastically) trying to finish two paintings that are in progress. With the large amount of shows I have at the moment, I don't have much work to display in my studio this year so I'd like to finish these two pieces so that I can have SOMETHING on my walls. Today I worked on my umbrella painting. I worked on the girl to the right and the child in the middle.

The child in the middle, as you have probably noticed, looks pretty angry. She is not happy about whoever her mother seems to be talking to (at least that's the story it's telling in my head). I think I did a good job of capturing her disapproval but perhaps I need to tone it back a little. I will probably lighten her face up a bit so that there is less contrast. I'm thinking that will soften her features and not make her looks so "evil". I don't want to get rid of the look on her face completely. I still want her to look mad because I think it tells a story (and she does look mad on the photograph). I like this story, but perhaps I can make her look less like the "bad seed". (You remember that movie, right?)

It's weird how just a few strokes changed her look. If you look at the image below, she looks mildly perturbed. A little darkening under her eyes (in addition to a few other adjustments) and we have  whole new attitude! I am enjoying this painting and can't wait to get back to painting it tomorrow!

For those of you who would like to see this painting in person, stop by open studios this weekend!

San Francisco Fall Open Studios, 2011

Saturday and Sunday, October 1st and 2nd

11-6pm

@ Art Explosion Studios

2425 17th Street at Potrero

San Francisco, CA

I will be in studio #68 so stop by and say Hi!