Oil Sketch from Life

Limited palette, minimal strokes and a hasty signature down there: That's all I managed in the 4 hours time I had with this model, half of which went for tea ( smoking) breaks, light adjustment, and the turning on of a million-year-old heater. The model though was great! and I didn't keep it a secret. An almost copper complexion with chiseled features plus a checked black and crimson turban I wish I had more time to elaborate on a bit.

The thing I like about this workshop is that there is no teaching, which means you pay less and work more. It is just a bunch of amateur and professional painters working together at a friendly atmosphere. And if there is any learning it is random, informal and mainly through looking at each other's works.

When you paint against time you tend to do it more strategically, trying to appreciate every second and every stroke you lay on the canvas, and more often the result turns out to be more spontaneous and dynamic. As you see in this portrait I retained the first turpentine wash for the background and in parts for the face as well. I know I sound a bit Schmidish, but honestly I think there is no way escaping his influence, at least for years to come.