Portrait of Florence, oil on canvas

  For this portrait as usual I used a canvas on board, and cropped it slightly to fit the subject. I started with a grisaille underpainting using Raw Umber and Titanium White and a little medium. I’m hovering between a straightforward Ivory Black and White underpainting, and other versions, mainly Raw or Burnt Umber and White. Burnt umber has a little more warmth. I’ve…

Devon open studios

I’ this portrait for promotional material for Devon open studios in September 2017 #portrait #portraitpainting #contemporaryrealism #art #oilpainting #devonartistnetwork #devonopenstudios (at Kenton, Devon)

Portrait painting in stages

This is an early example and one of my first efforts at glazing over a grisaille underpainting, a portrait I painted of Dai, in stages. You can see the grid system I used to copy the original photograph reference. I don’t have a strict methodology of working from darkest darks to lightest lights that you can sometimes read about on academic portrait painting sites,…

First glaze

First glaze done. Took about 90 minutes. I’ll adjust the colours and drawing as I go on #portrait #art #painting #oilpainting #glaze #grisaille #underpainting #contemporaryart #realism

Grisaille underpainting

Grisaille underpainting finished for another portrait. Ready for a glaze very soon. #devon #portraitpainting #glazing #underpainting #contemporaryart #art #portrait #oilpainting #oiloncanvas #painting

//www.instagram.com/p/BMzGPrlD5C6/embed/ Glazing over the grisaille. I’m sure you’ll appreciate the flashy production values. Full video at mattharveyart.com #grisaille #portrait #art #oilpainting #contemporaryart #underpainting #glazing #portraitpainting #devon

Colour glazing – 3rd glaze over the underpainting

3rd glaze done. Still a few more needed #underpainting #grisaille #portrait #portraitpainting #oiloncanvas #art #painting #fineart #devon #glaze #contemporaryart #contemporaryrealism #oilpainting

Would be nice to do another version of this one day – carved directly in Carrara marble using photos as a reference #carrara #marble #directcarving #contemporaryart #sculpture #portrait #stonecarving #babygirl #elbowgrease #portraitsculpture #marblesculpture #stonesculpture #devon

Before and after glazing with grisaille underpainting, Portrait of Hideo in oil paint on canvas

Before and after #rosycheeks #babyboy #stars #oilpainting #portraitart #portraitpainting #grisaille #underpainting #glazing

First glaze done on the face. Having fun with the pattern on his sleep suit, stars floating off the picture plane! #oilpainting #portrait #portraitpainting #underpainting #grisaille #sleepsuit #pyjamas #stars #babyboy #rosycheeks

First interrupted sitting of Jewellery designer Steve Whitford.. http://www.mattharveyart.com/mattharveyart-blog/55216-steve

Andrea Del Sarto, Madonna of the harpies, detail

urgetocreate: Vincent van Gogh, The Reaper (after Millett), September, 1889

dappledwithshadow: The Painting Session, Henri Matisse 1942

Dawn by William Reid Dick I like this carving of a sleeping child, and the neat wrapping of the head with folds of fabric. The stone is given a nice fleshy quality and the carving feels as if its been done so tenderly, as the artist literally felt his way around and over the folds of the child’s head. The contrast with the base…