#33 Marcy - One Hundred Alla Prima Portraits of American Teenagers

                                                                            "Marcy"
(Advice for other teens) "Don't be afraid to look or dress differently...so what if they think you're weird; embrace it!" (Some things that are important to me are) "Making people happy and being happy. I want to design logos/products for organizations that do good for society and also be involved in some type of community arts program."

I was very happy with this painting because I was able to get into the shadow areas and develop the different color shapes. It was really fun to paint. I love the red streaks she had in her hair.

#32 Dante - One Hundred Alla Prima Portraits of American Teenagers

                                                                               "Dante"
"Teenagers today are concerned with all of the wrong things.  They are materialistic.  There is a lack of individuality and 'feeling' among today's teenagers... appreciate what's around you before its gone."

One of the questions I am often asked is how do I find the models for this project? I saw Dante working in a store in my town, and was struck by his interesting look and his sensitive manner.  He is a musician, and was very interested to see our paintings evolve during the breaks while he posed.

This is painted on alkyd primed linen from New York Art Supply, suggested to me by Rob Liberace for alla prima work. Alkyd paint is a type of quick drying oil paint, and it easier to cover when painting alla prima than oil primed linen, which is initially slippery.  This canvas was pretty absorbent.  The right surface to paint on is a very individual thing for each artist, and depends on various aspects their technique, including how thick their paint is and what kind of medium they use.

#31 Tori - One Hundred Alla Prima Portraits of American Teenagers

                                                                                "Tori"
"I think teens are concerned about finding who they are as a person both socially and academically, whether they are aware of it or not... I would advise other teens to always respect yourself and prepare now for the future."

#30 Mackenzie - One Hundred alla Prima Portraits of American Teenagers

                                                                         "Mackenzie"

MacKenzie is the grandson of Annya, one of the painters working along with me. He was a great model, and fun to paint, but I'm not crazy about this painting. The transition from light to shadow on the left side of his face is too abrupt, and doesn't look three dimensional. Sometimes I wish I had more  more time in these four hour sessions, and this one falls in that category.  I can easily spend too long in the preliminary drawing stage, and become obsessed with getting the shapes perfect, only to fine I don't have enough time to develop the form. I am watching this though, because I think there is something there that I need to understand about myself as a painter, because I love the flat design aspect of things.

It has been 8 weeks since I have posted on this blog, and I confess that I am about to paint portrait #85!  I am going to try hard to post frequently so I can catch up. I think I hit a wall at the time I stopped posting, it had been just over a year since I had started this project, and I had just completed painting #64.  I started to loose my energy and focus and was getting tired of doing it,  but I am feeling back on track and re-energized!  I did not realize what a commitment it would be to paint this many portraits, all of teenagers, the same size, and in only four hours.  I am glad I was public with this project, because I was very tempted to quit when I reached painting #70, but I can't quit now because made a commitment to do this. But I may never paint a square again when this is over!  Have any of you experienced this kind of thing in painting a series?  I would be interested to hear about your experience.