Papa Joyce Painting

I treasure this photo of my grandfather taken by my father many years ago. I found it while looking through a box of my father’s old slides—slides that have not seen the light of day for over 30 years.

There are many reasons why I love this photo. First, simply because it is of my grandfather. In his heyday, he was the type you would see in the movies—a sophisticated businessman in a suit and a wool fedora, very classy. Of course, I only know this side of him through photographs and stories. My own memories of him are those of a man who was always busy. Busy cutting grass, raking leaves, and planting flower boxes. Busy fixing the docks at my grandparents’ summer cottage. Busy grilling steaks and making rum collins. He made the best drinks—whether cocktails for the adults, frappes for the kids, or coffee milk for both.

My grandfather, or Papa as he was known to us, was a very sweet person who adored my grandmother. He loved to tell jokes and stories, but was also a stern man who had certain rules us grandchildren followed. Sit up straight and elbows off the table (a knuckle down your back if you slouched). Finish all your dinner, or no dessert.

Papa had a very strong work ethic. Everyone had to pitch in. After big family dinners, all the grandchildren were expected to clear the plates from the table, wash dishes, dry them, and put them away. He liked to call it “Game Time” and we were all players. From a kid’s perspective, it was boring because we would rather be having fun. Looking back, it’s one of my fondest memories.

OK, back to the photo. It was taken at the summer cottage in Halifax, which is one of my favorite places to be. My grandfather is reading the paper and having a cocktail in the summer afternoon. Glass case in pocket, linen fedora in place. It’s utterly quintessential.

It’s begging to be painted and I am going to try my best to do so.

Stay tuned....

Update

To be completely honest, I have no idea what I am doing. I’ve taken a few art classes in college, but I don’t have any formal training in fine art. The thought of taking painting classes has crossed my mind, but the cost of art supplies in itself is enough for me. So, I continue to be a self-taught artist—just painting what I see and hope for the best. That usually worked fine for me until now. Now, I am apprehensive.

Deciding to paint a portrait of my grandfather overwhelms me. I have very little experience drawing people and it took me a while to even start this. I decided to begin with quick sketches just to get a feel for it and go from there.

Working from a small photograph can be a bit daunting. But, I remembered a technique I learned in college, where you use a grid to transfer an image from a photograph to a canvas. There are other methods such as using a projector or transfer paper, but I feel more comfortable using the grid method. If you want to learn about other methods, Thaneeya McArdle has instructions on her website.

I printed the photo out as a 10x10 and my canvas is 20x20, making the transfer easier (Yay-because math is not my strong suit!). I drew the 1 inch by 1 inch grid on my reference photo and because my canvas is twice the size, drew a 2 inch by 2 inch grid on my canvas.

I should note that before drawing the grid, I did gesso the canvas and sand it down, making the surface smoother. I made the grid using a charcoal pencil, as it is easier to erase charcoal than a regular lead pencil. Once the grid was all set, I transferred the image, one square at a time. Some may view this as cheating, but it is a lifesaver! It really helps to make sure the placement of the elements are accurate. And I can use all the help I can get!

The one problem with charcoal is that if you try to paint directly over it, it will turn to mud. After some online research, I found that putting a medium over the charcoal will set the drawing and not mix with your paint. I used Liquitex Airbrush Medium.

So, this is where I am at in the process—a little over two weeks after deciding to tackle painting a portrait of my grandfather. I have no idea what the final painting will look like or when it will be completed. Hopefully, I have something to share with you by the year’s end!

Another Update February 12, 2017:

“The artist uses the talent he has, wishing he had more talent. The talent uses the artist it has, wishing it had more artist.” —Robert Brault

I first set out to paint my grandfather’s portrait back on December 21, 2016. Aside from a self-portrait assignment in college, this is the first one I have ever attempted. It’s likely the most difficult art-related thing I have ever done.

I am using all the talent I have.

I am constantly asking myself questions while painting. Am I getting the colors right? Are the shadows lining up with the light source? Is his face going to look like a ball of mud? I am learning that skin tone is one of the more difficult things to get right and that faces are hard to paint! I am also constantly afraid I am going to mess the whole thing up with one flick of the wrist, one runaway drip of paint.

It’s been almost two months since I started this project, but I have been a bit lazy about it—I have gone weeks without touching the canvas. It takes both time and strong motivation to get myself in the zone. Thankfully, the snow has been a great asset by forcing me to stay inside and get some work done.

I created an animated gif of the progress so far. I still have a long way to go, but here is where I am as of today:

One challenge that I think many artists have is knowing when something is finished...when to walk away and say “I am done.” I know I am not done yet, but I hope to be soon.

Final Update February 20, 2017

“I’m always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn to do it.” —Pablo Picasso

I set out to do something that I never did before—paint a portrait. It was very challenging, but the bigger the challenge, the greater the reward.

In the mind of a creator, there are many instances where a work of art is never really finished. There’s usually something else that can be tweaked or improved upon. For me, I know a piece is finished when I am at the point where if I work on it anymore, I will ruin it. I reached that point today and finally put down the brush.

I am not sure how I managed this…patience and determination, I guess. I’d also like to think my grandfather gave me a little a little push, a nudge, a knuckle down my back.

Papa with Newspaper in Halifax

Acrylic on Canvas, 2017 | 20” x 20” | © Amy Joyce