Studio Portrait Painting

This is the last sitting for this painting.

I didn’t add too much this week – just made the background a bit darker.

I then painted a quick portrait in oil on paper, which is at the bottom of this post.

repose, oil on canvas

portrait, nicola king

portrait, nicola king

portrait of an artist, oil and charcoal on paper

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Lichtenstein retrospective exhibition opens at Tate Modern with an explosion of colour and energy

This powerful retrospective of our best known American pop artist, Roy Lichtenstein, opens tomorrow at the Tate Modern.

125 paintings and sculptures are exhibited – many instantly recognisable and others a treat to see and study.

Lichtenstein is best known for his paintings based on comic strips, featuring bold lines and coloured with hand painted dots.

His late ‘Brushstroke’ paintings are just wonderful in their simplicity.

Should there be a homage to Howard Hodgkin…?!

After enjoying this fantastic exhibition, refreshments were served in the dramatic surroundings of the former Bankside Power Station, now the Tate Modern.

Roy Lichtenstein, A Retrospective is on at Tate Modern, from 21 February to 27 May 2013.

Royal Academy’s major exhibition of Manet’s portraits – Private View

Last night I was lucky enough to attend a private viewing of the Royal Academy’s fabulous exhibition of Edouard Manet’s portraits.

Amongst more than 50 paintings collected from around the world, were many that were instantly recognisable and wonderful to see, having seen reproductions in books over the years.

Some paintings, never exhibited during Manet’s life, are unfinished.  Even though most artists would hate the thought of unfinished works being exhibited, I thought they were beautiful and had a lovely free spirit, that can sometimes be lost when a painting is overworked.

I will have to re-visit this exhibition as one painting was missing – it’s arrival was delayed due to the snow and cancelled flights!

Portraying Life is on at the Royal Academy, London, from 26 January to 14 April 2013