Kim Blair Artist: 2020

Mrs. M's portrait in pastel by Kim Blair

Mrs. M.

(14"x11" pastel on gessoed wc paper)

When I saw the reference photo for this portrait on her daughter's instagram account I said to myself, "Here is a woman who exudes joie de vivre, it would be so much fun to paint her portrait!"

From start to finish it was pure joy... I was smiling the whole time.

Mrs. M. is the first adult portrait I have painted with teeth showing, so you can imagine I was a bit nervous. But her lovely warm smile made me feel confident that the portrait would turn out just fine.

My sister had the same unique feature of a space between her teeth, which could be one of the reasons I felt comfortable trying to replicate Mrs. M.'s beautiful smile.

;0)

(*If you received this blog post via email subscription the video will not be visible in your email. Please go directly to my art blog by clicking on the following link for kimblairartist.blogspot.com in order to view the short 2 minute video of the creation of this portrait.)

Delivered... by Kim Blair

Matt and Jasper posing with their portraits

Instead of a curb side drop off I masked up and delivered Matt and The Cat to Matt and Jasper, staying long enough to help him hang the painting...a gift from his Aunt.

When Matt opened his door, there, in all his fluffy splendour was Jasper, who's size did not disappoint!

Jasper didn't need any coaxing to be included in the shot. Jumping onto Matt's lap he quickly arranging himself into a relaxed pose giving me a regal, confident gaze.

;0)

(As I mentioned in my previous posting of Matt and The Cat, selfies photos often create foreshortening issues which are translated into the portrait when one paints true to the reference photo. Selfies are rich reference sources for artists and offer the painter a fun perspective.)

Deann's portrait in pastel by Kim Blair

Deann Stein Hasinoff

(14"x11" pastel on gessoed paper)

I first met Deann, a fellow artist, in an abstract drawing class at the University of Alberta. Her artistic practice continues to focus on exploring abstraction through the use of digital technology. Using black and white digital drawings, along with photography, Deann creates thought provoking expressive art.

Each image is delicately rendered evoking the look and feel of a charcoal drawing. The power in each piece is subtle yet palpable, giving depth and strength to the work.

Deann's upcoming exhibition, Catching Smoke, is a series of digital drawings working to give visual form to the anxiety she says she has experienced for most of her life. The theme of Deann's show is especially poignant during these unsettled times.

The show will be held at Harcourt House, here in Edmonton.

(If the gallery is unable to open due to Covid 19 the exhibition will be virtual.)

Catching Smoke

Harcourt House

Art Incubator Gallery

August 21st - October 3rd, 2020

3rd Floor, 10215 - 112 Street

Edmonton, Alberta

deann_stein_hasinoff_art@instagram.com

deannsteinhasinoff.com

*If you received this blog post via email subscription the video will not be visible in your email. Please go directly to my art blog by clicking on the following link for kimblairartist.blogspot.com in order to view the short 2 minute video of the creation of this portrait.

Loren's portrait in pastel by Kim Blair

Loren Marsden

(14"x11" pastel on paper)

Loren is a poet who has the ability to capture and hold your attention as soon as she starts delivering a poem.

I felt myself being drawn into many of the experiences she shared at the open mic evenings at the Stroll of Poets, where she has been a regular since 2018. Her poetry about riding on public transit offered up a fresh honest perspective and I often found myself cheering, laughing out loud, or both, by the end of her readings.

Recently, while catching up on her haiku poetry on FB, I came across a selfie she posted wearing a fabulous toque embellished with equally fabulous oversized metal button (I definitely have button envy) ;0)... and asked permission to paint her.

Matt and the Cat ...portrait in pastel by Kim Blair

Matt and the Cat

(12.5"x19" wax pastel)

Matt and the Cat was painted from a selfie sent to me via Matt's aunt.

Jasper, the gorgeous cat draped across Matt's shoulders looks huge! I'm not sure if Jasper is a large cat, or it's the perspective of the photo playing tricks, but one thing is for sure, Jasper is a loving playful companion.

Painting from selfies, can be a challenge because there is often a distortion of the features as people hold their heads down or up depending on how they are looking at the camera.

Add balancing a cat on your shoulders and the you can see how this might change things!

;0)

When I named this portrait, Matt and the Cat, it brought to mind the wonderful Dr. Seuss book The Cat in the Hat and the story of a mischievous cat who tries to entertain Sally and her brother one rainy day when they are confined to the house... hmmmmm sounds a bit like the past few months.

I wonder if Jasper is as mischievous as the cat in the book?

Clare Balding's portrait in pastel by Kim Blair

Clare Balding

(14"x11" wax pastel)

I thoroughly enjoy watching the British portrait painting show Sky Arts 'Portrait Artist of the Year.'

Like so many programs they have been unable to film new episodes because of Covid 19.

But luckily they created a live four hour FB portrait painting show, on Sundays, in which artist from around the world can participate by painting the guess celebrity sitter.

Last Sunday, June 7, the sitter was the British Broadcaster Clare Balding. I along with thousands of other artists participated.

Each week they place a montage of the portraits entered around the show title and it was a thrill to see my painting made it onto this page.

Below is a screen shot showing my portrait of Clare in the upper right just inside the white space of the title block.

The image on the screen may be small but my gratitude is huge.

Thank you Sky Arts!

(My portrait of Clare Balding is the small rectangle ↑ to the right of the last 't' in Portrait)

Michael's portrait in pastel by Kim Blair

Michael

(14"x11" wax pastel on gessoed w.c. paper)

Social Media is proving to be a great source for reference photos.

I discovered Michael's selfie on Instagram and instantly (pun intended) wanted to paint him... thankfully he agreed. The bits of colour bouncing off his face gave the photo an interesting glow which I thought would be fun to try to suggest in the portrait.

It's no secret that I absolutely love colour so how could I possibly resist this deeply saturated analogous colour scheme!

"Colour in a picture is like enthusiasm in life."

- Vincent Van Gogh

Fred's portrait by Kim Blair

Fred Hatt

(14"x11" wax pastel on gessoed w.c. paper)

Fred Hatt is a visual artist and photographer based in New York City. It's because of Fred that I started working with wax pastel.

I absolutely love chalk pastel work, but discovered early on in my artistic journey that the dust created while working with traditional pastel was not good for my health.

When I was researching pastel portraiture I happened upon Fred's work using water soluble wax based pastel. His portraiture/figurative work, created from this medium, was the inspiration for me deciding to experiment with this type of pastel for my portrait work.

Previously I'd used this type of pastel in mixed media painting, but until I saw Fred's work it had not occurred to me that it could be used for portraiture.

This highly pigmented medium allows me to create colourful portraits.

Fred's style of working with wax pastel is dynamic and unique. His line work, which is captivating and sensual is complemented by his masterful use of colour.

Now, after nearly two years, I have painted 100 portraits.

Thanks for the inspiration Fred!

Check him out on instagram

Cole's portrait in pastel by Kim Blair

Cole

(14"x11" wax pastel on gessoed w.c. paper)

Sometimes the universe just drops one in your lap... via Facebook.

That's how I acquired the reference photo Cole, a fellow artist, snapped of his 16 day beard growth. The elongated distortion of this selfie speaks volumes! I'd say it sums up Cole's rebel attitude regarding his beard.

(Thanks Cole for giving me permission to use your photo.)

Regarding your album... I've got you covered.

;0)

Justine's portrait in pastel by Kim Blair

Justine

(14"x11" wax pastel on gessoed w.c. paper)

Justine caught my eye this past January.

My "artist eye" is always scanning my surroundings when shopping, looking for a possible portrait model. I have learned (as I mentioned in a previous post) that inspiration must be acted upon as soon as possible. So, when I turned around to check out a sweater hanging on a mannequin and my eye went past the sweater and spotted Justine I knew instantly that she would be fun to paint.

Her long blue hair is what initially caught my attention, then her eyes came into focus!

Justine Orkusz is a professional makeup artist and manager at MAC cosmetics. She has worked for this brand for five years, but has been doing makeup for ten years total.

The images she posts on http://www.instragram.com/makeupbyjustinerose showcase her creative talent with makeup. It's intriguing to see how transformative makeup can be when applied by a professional!

It's no surprise that Justine loves freelancing and doing theatrical makeup.

Evelyn's portrait in pastel by Kim Blair

Evelyn

(14"x11" wax pastel on gessoed w.c. paper)

One afternoon, last fall, I was talking to my friend Francine during a function we attended at the Highland's Golf Club and mentioned that I would like to paint her daughter's portrait. Not too long after we spoke I received a lovely selfie reference photo of Evelyn which I filed away until last month.

It was a delight to paint Evelyn!

:0)

One of the reasons I like working with pastel is the textural tones you can achieve when bits of the paper/underpainting peek through the work. In Evelyn's portrait you can see the warm terracotta of the underpainting peeking through the background and skin adding another tonal dimension to the work.

Golda's portrait in pastel by Kim Blair

Golda

(14"x11" wax pastel on gessoed w.c. paper)

I saw Golda while shopping a few months ago.

Her braids and beautiful skin caught my eye. Past experience taught me that if I see/meet someone I feel drawn to paint I should not hesitate to ask permission to photograph them at that exact moment in order to capture the essence that inspired me. Golda agreed to allow me to photograph her, paint her portrait and post the painting on social media.

Thanks Golda for being open to the experience!

"A portrait painting is the artist's expressive interpretation of the sitter, capturing a single moment in time."

(It may take a couple of seconds for it to load once you press play...)

Rebecca's portrait in pastel by Kim Blair

Rebecca

(14"x11" pastel on gessoed w.c. paper)

Rebecca works at one of my favourite gluten free bakeries here in Edmonton, Celebrate Gluten Free.

Her smiling face is just one of the many friendly staff who may greet you when you visit this special bakery.

One day, when I was at CGF picking up my bread order (along with other delicious treats), Rebecca came to the counter to assist me and I was immediately inspired to ask her if I could paint her portrait... lucky for me she said yes.

Rebecca mentioned she is interested in studying Culinary Arts, which ties in nicely with her experience working at Celebrate Gluten Free.

I have to confess that I absolutely love CGF's carrot cake and it has become a tradition for my birthday cake!

Next time you stop by CGF to sample some scrumptious baking say hi to Rebecca for me.

(It may take a couple of seconds for it to load once you press play...)

Johanne's portrait by Kim Blair

Johanne Yakula

(14"x11" pastel on gessoed w.c. paper)

Johanne is passionate about history and old houses!

Since 1994 she has owned and operated her own business "From Times Past", a design and decorating source for owners of heritage homes. Through her business, which is now home based, Johanne is still involved in antiques as a certified appraiser with CPPAG. She continues to share her extensive historical knowledge about design, preservation of heritage homes, history and art as a guest speaker.

I had the pleasure of hearing Johanne lecture about art history through the University of Alberta Faculty of Extension and enjoyed the way she wove interesting tidbits of information about the various artists we were studying into her lectures.

Johanne's first book, "Historical Interiors of Alberta - A Guide to Preserving and Decorating Your Heritage Home" published in 2012, is an informative read and includes numerous photo references.

A bit of fun!

45 Portraits by Kim Blair

(45 portraits completed for exhibition)

(my pastels... well used)

Okay, so here is my excuse for not posting since November... I wanted to complete the 45 portraits I have been working on for my exhibition in Edmonton this April.

The final portrait for the show was completed last week. Yippee!

I will post the exhibition information closer to the date

Next on my to do list... create 45 videos (one for each portrait) of the process shots I took as I worked on each painting. These short 2 minute portrait videos have been a hit on my blog which is why, as promised, there will be one for each portrait in the April exhibition.

In the mean time you will start to see some new portraits on my blog.