WORKS IN PROGRESS

in the studio

IN THE STUDIO

In my studio you can usually find paintings in various states of completion.
**Below are my two latest works, followed by the evolution of my painting The Face of Kali.**

VISHNU-CHRIST AVATAR

Adam and Eve before the Tree of Knowledge
(click on the image for details)
This is the bottom of a grisaille painting
where I'm playing with the mix of Hindu and Gothic
styles and iconographies.

Below is the whole composition.

Vishnu-Christ

IN THE BRIDAL CHAMBER

In the Bridal Chamber

This is a Wedding Portrait
of my wife Florence and myself
(as well as our cat Zen on the left...)

I've just finished a novel called
The Hidden Passion:
A Novel of the Gnostic Christ Based on the Nag Hammadi Texts.
A lot of Gnostic imagery appears in this painting,
particularly their rite of 'the Five Seals'.

THE FACE OF KALI

The images below offer a glimpse into the various stages that went into this painting.


Drawing stage: Face of Kali superimposed over Madonna with Child and Madonna Dolorosa	Underpainting with burnt umber and golden green

Refined the Madonnas with white underpainting, glazes and local colours	The white underpaintingr of Kali's face, awaiting amber glazes

First amber glazes	More glazes and finished details

To see the stages in action,
click on the Animated .gif

This was an ambitious project. The composition in the drawing stage may seem complex, but the layers of paint and colour eventually distinguish the forms. After finishing the burnt umber underpainting, I glazed with golden greens and ochres to create a sombre atmosphere. Then, I highlighted the madonnas with white and glazed over them, refining them until they had a strong enough presence to be seen through the face. The face of Kali was painted semi-transparently in whites, and repeatedly glazed. Afterwards came the final details.


Brown umber underpainting	Refined with white underpainting, glazes and local colours

White underpainting of the face of kali awaiting the amber glazes	Amber glazes over white

The methods & materials shown here
are taught by me every year
in the
Visions in the Mischtechnik
Summer Painting Seminar.

THE FIGURE OF KALI


Drawing	Underpainting	Finished

face of Kali

A preparatory sketch