The 4H farm girls see that we want to paint, and they have an idea. They offer to put a halter on a miniature horse and pose it for us. They're glad to get out of shoveling more stalls.
The name of this mini horse is "Patches," because of the saddle-shaped spot on her back.
That name reminds me of the original "patch painters," the Macchiaioli of Italy, who painted outdoors in a style that resembled Impressionism a decade before the French pioneers.
Thinking in terms of patches of paint helps with color mixing and paint application. In this painting, I am looking at how the mare's white body registers the relative color and relative brightness of the indoor and outdoor light.
More on Macchiaioli at Lines and Colors
Macchiaioli on Wikipedia
Macchiaioli on the European Studies Blog
How to pronounce Macchiaioli
1 comment:
Very interesting. I don't recall having heard the term "patch painters" before. Now I know! It's pleasing as an end in itself, in addition to being a block in stage, or a study, as the Macchiaioli used the technique. (I wonder if there's a direct line from patch painting to pointillissm.)
Your painting is really charming and effective. Comparing the final to the video clip, you captured the 4-H girl's youthful energy nicely, even though, unlike in the clip, she appears to be standing still.
Post a Comment