nean12350

Recent Portrait Work

Hello Everyone, Spring is finally here! I can’t wait to get back outside to do some landscape painting. In the meantime I have been working hard on some personal portrait work of some members of my family and also continuing to participate with the Hood Portrait Group. I have always enjoyed figurative work and in some of these paintings I utilized a very limited palette used painters of the past such as Anders Zorn, a Swedish painter 1860-1920 The Zorn Palette, also known as the Apelles palette uses four colors Vermilion, ivory Black, Flake white and Yellow ochre. Instead of Flake white and Vermilion I am using Titanium White and Cadmium Red respectively. “There is evidence that this palette has been in use by painters since the 4th Century BC; Pliny referred to the painter Apelles of Kos’ tetrachromatic palette, which comprised red, yellow, black and white pigments.”

Anders Zorn , You can see the actual four colors here on his palette.

A contemporary British painter, Frances Bell also uses this limited palette combination. Frances uses just four colours for the flesh tones: ivory black, vermilion, yellow ochre and lead white.
Additional colours are used as necessary for clothing and background. She is a wonderful painter and I greatly admire her style. To see more of her work check out: https://www.francesbellpaintings.co.uk/about-frances

Frances Bell
Yellow Trainers, 35.5″ x 37.5″, Oil on Canvas
“Andrew Festing” by Frances Bell
“Rowan Jo in a Straw Hat” (14×11) oil on linen panel

For the most part I stuck with the Zorn Palette in the flesh tones and hair, hat but used an additional color of cerulean blue in the dress and pool. I also introduced viridian green in the grass and bucket.

“Cassidy”. Pencil on grey paper
“Sleeping Angel”. A little study of my grandson Wayne Dempsey. All children remind me of angels when they are sleeping.
“Young Renaissance Man”. oil on linen. (16×20) In the Collection of Kelli & Steve Summers. This portrait of my grandson Merrick was inspired by a photo that I took of him in a little cafe in Florence. He reminded me so much of a young man who might have actually lived here during the height of the Renaissance in the 15th c. Botticelli would have loved to paint him.
Study for Madonna Pencil and white charcoal on pastel paper

The above chart, ( thanks to Jackson’s Blog, Published: 2nd February 2021 by Lisa Takahashi). will give you an idea of the myriad of color mixtures you can achieve just using these 4 colors. I am really enjoying this challenge. If you would like to learn more about the Zorn palette see these post: https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2021/02/02/colour-mixing-exploring-the-zorn-palette/. https://michaellynnadams.com/zorn-limited-palette/

Here is another interesting youtube about the Zorn Palette: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=ai_cGQxoYP8

Happy Painting Everyone1

Jeanean

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Published by nean12350

is a painter and art educator . She has a B.F.A. from the Maryland Institute College of Art. and has been concentrating on landscape and figurative painting for thirty years. Jeanean loves painting the Maryland countryside as well as traveling to distant locations to teach and to work and is very active in the arts community with portrait, life drawing and plein air groups. She has taught at Common Ground on the Hill at McDaniel College, Hood College,Montgomery College, Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center, Rockville ArtsPlace. She has conducted plein-air workshops nationally in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia,Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Georgia, South Carolina and internationally in Ireland,England, France and Germany. She exhibits widely and has had exhibits at major universities and colleges. Jeanean is a member of the Oil Painters of America, Portrait Society of America, Maryland Federation of Ar

4 comments

    • Dear Dotti, so good to hear from you. I have sent you several emails and did not get a response. Can you send me your current email? I hope you and Bill are well. Love, your fearless leader…….

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      • I am the other one you don’t know but who admires your work. I hope you can find her. Have you tried FB? Maybe you an track her down on there.

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