Painting an Imaginative Image on Location

Victor Higgins, 1900-1910

William Victor Higgins (1884-1949) proves that it's possible to paint an imaginative image from a model outdoors. The painting is called Indian Girl with Parrot and Hoop. Pueblo people used parrot feathers for ceremonial objects.

William Higgins, Indian Girl with Parrot and Hoop

The challenge is to maintain your mental image in the face of the overwhelming force of observed effects.

Higgins studied under Robert Henri and was associated with the colony of artists in Taos, New Mexico.


Books
The Legendary Artists of Taos
Taos Artists and Their Patrons, 1898-1950