Monday, September 24, 2018

Painting Andrew Wyeth's Nephew


In Cushing, Maine, we visit the Olson House, where Andrew Wyeth's painted "Christina's World." (Link to Facebook for video)  

David Rockwell, Andrew Wyeth's nephew, gouache
Wyeth's nephew David Rockwell was sitting in the dining room. He's the son of Betsy's sister, and he spent a great deal of time growing up in the company of his uncle Andy and Christina Olson. As he shares photos and memories, I sketch his portrait in gouache.


At an early stage the portrait looks like a roughly shaped lump of clay. The background is transparent and the paint is a bit more opaque on the face.

The lighting is a form of split lighting, with cool window light from the left and warm light from the right, leaving the dark planes in the center of the face.
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To visit the Olson House you'll need a ticket from the Farnsworth Art Museum
Wikipedia on Olson HouseAndrew Wyeth, and Christina's World
Video Tutorial: Portraits in the Wild download
All the DVDs direct from the manufacturer's warehouse

3 comments:

Krystal said...

this portrait is fantastic !

Tom Hart said...

Love the shot of you walking toward the Olson house from "Christina's spot". That and the whole experience must have felt quite special.

James Gurney said...

Thanks, Krystal.
Tom, we went for the last tour on Thursday, and by dumb luck, David Rockwell was there to regale a small group of us with stories. I just happened to have my sketch kit with me, and I figured that I wouldn't be the first to paint in that house.