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THE ART OF THE PORTRAIT
Master Showcase
Mary Ross Buchholz
Place of Honor - Goat Skull, charcoal and graphite, 15 x 25" (38 x 63½ cm)INSPIRATION
I enjoy creating the portrait, whether the subject is an animal or
person. However, on occasion, a still life offers a new and exciting
challenge and change of pace. Over the years, I have collected skulls
from our ranch and recently decided to do a series with them. With
Place of Honor – Goat Skull, you can tell by the length of horns that
this Billy goat had a long, healthy life. I envisioned giving him a
“Place of Honor” on this Navajo-style rug and was pleased with how
the one-source lighting danced across the cracks and nuances of his
skull.DESIGN AND COMPOSITION
With charcoal and graphite, I enjoy subtlely rendering the details, the
different textures and the individual characteristics of my subjects. I
marvel at how black-and-white images seem timeless and impart a
simplicity without other distractions. I hope to capture the viewer’s
attention both from a distance and up close. I intentionally lead
the viewer’s eye around various areas of my drawings. This can be
achieved by designing works with strong and balanced compositions,
having interesting lighting, deliberately placing fine detail in specific
focal areas, and with the use of negative space. Both a successful and
intriguing piece of artwork.Lucas Bononi
Jordán, oil on panel, 18 x 14" (46 x 36 cm)INSPIRATION
I was in pursuit of a model that had a special characteristic
in his or her portrait. When I came across Jordan I was
convinced he would be one of the most exotic models who
has ever sat for me. Being half-Parisian and half-Ethiopian I
was intrigued to capture his likeness as one of my objectives.DESIGN AND COMPOSITION
When composing this portrait I decided to leave the
background as untouched bare wood. My reasoning behind
this was to quiet the background, as well as creating a unity
with the portrait and off-white shirt. The process of placing
the portrait started with a drawing in my sketchbook that
I then photocopied in various different sizes. This allowed
me the freedom of using my intuition to see what placement
felt right. I ended blowing up the drawing and later using
basic dynamic symmetry principles to further positioning of
the portrait in a more structural way. The painting was done
from life. Lighting came from a north-facing skylight and
due to these limitations, I made sure to have enough shadow
shapes to help the overall design by sitting far over and at
worm’s-eye view to the model.