Saint Teresa of Avila in Ecstasy (just like mom)

[Elena]

I'll try to tell a short story.
I'm fascinated with the similarities among human-kind feelings regardless of time, culture, or religious believes.
My mom is an atheist, who's father (descendant of converted jews) was a franciscan, a baptist pastor, and a mason, before being agnostic; and who's mom was a spiritist. My mom's name is Maria Teresa, like her mom; and like Saint Teresa of Avila, very passionate, very devoted and very dedicated to her believes (even thou the subject matter was different for both Teresas)
I love the history of the Saints, and I respect greatly that they've have been honored for helping people overcome their troubles. I trully understand everybody's belief.
I believe in God and love him dearly since I met him in person exactly 22 years ago.

So here's the painting I did of my mom.

I used one of her wedding's studio photographs and changed the color of the dress to make it brown like the carmelites (note to the side: in Cuba we called "carmelita" the color brown, unlike any other spanish speaking country where they call it by its name 'sepia' or 'sienna') I created the room and garden, and added the dove and the rosary, because in her wedding picture the rosary is too small.
Ron and Anita: I have a mental block with the values. Although I find the painting's mood to be pleasant to the eye, I think at the same time that there's something wrong with the lights inside or outside, but can't figure it out.
I painted Saint Teresa in ecstasy, in the presence of the dove -not the angel with arrow- during her silent prayer in her room, not wearing the full habit because she's not going anywhere now, it's just one of the passages of her life.
...may be my stones are taking too much attention, they look kind of marshmellows on a sweet potato pie right out of the oven... or Lord! I think I need to get something to eat...
Thank you so much in advance for all your comments

[Elena]

details

[anita]

I like how you painted the rosary--there and not there. It leaves a lot to the imagination but you know exactly what you are looking at.

The dove needs the specular reflection in the eye. Do you remember in Dru's class the photo of the owl where the light passed right through the eye and created a phenomenon called (I can't remember the word) but anyhow it lit up the corner of the eye by the beak in a very tiny area. I think your dove would benefit from that treatment.

I am not great on faces, unless I have the reference photo right in front of me, so I won't make any comments other than she is very pretty and serene looking.

[arlene]

No critique, not good at that . I do like the feeling of prayer it evokes and of course it is well painted. It is a bit different for you. I like it a lot

[Brian_Bullard]

I think it's amazing as well, wonderful portrait!

[strongv]

Well done and a lovely idea Elena. Saint Theresa is one of my favorite characters in Christian mythology because of her story of triumphing over seeming insurmountable obstacles.

If I were to critique something it may just be the focus seems to be spread out around the painting, rather than just on the facial expression. I hope you don't dilute the drama by going to the same key highlight on several objects in the space. I see the same highlight on the window edge, on your Mom's beautiful face, on the rosary, and also behind her on the arch which frames her body.

The painting might feel more focused if your dramatic light effect could remain on the expression and the face.

Perhaps you could blur, fade in to shadow or otherwise minimize how the stones read. Making the mortar lines less contrasting, perhaps smaller...maybe that would make the background less competition for the eye. I also might consider simplifying or blurring the view out the window.

I found a nice example by Edmund Blair Leighton, of this kind of poignant lighting effect.

I really love the close up images. You have really captured the light on that rosary! Absolute perfection!

[patty_artist]

What a beautiful tribute. Very impressive. Yes, a little more light on her face, would really make her ethereal!
Is it me, or are the stones on the right side of the arch a little off? Please excuse my bad eye if I am wrong. I don't know photoshop to illustrate what I am seeing, but I love your painting!

[Elena]

Thank you so much guys, I'll do thoses changes, I was affraid of making the outside darker than her face because I thought that if it's sunny and the sunligth it lighting up her face and the dove, the ledge might get the same light. ...but what if it's in shade...from the branches...then might work, I'll try that.
I'll also try to make the grout lines thiner Pat, you're right, that's the marshmellow look, the lines really should be a suggestion.
Anita, the light coming thru a translucent object! lol, poor dove has a patch right now
I'm so proud of my rosary I wanted to do something really conceptual so I looked at the one I was holding, squinted as much as I could and got the lights and darks, with a tiny tiny brush, divinely guided, because it took me just one try. The beads are intentionaly larger and red

This is in oils, which I find quite difficult because I'm used to the speed with acrylics, the details are very small, I used the macro lense for the photos, the painting is 24"x36". This is my 3rd oil painting (first one was Saint Pancras, which I finished with acrylics, second was Ron's Jack-in-the-box) so I haven't painted in oils to sell, not ready yet, it takes too long, so if it's for myself...I could even be painting the same thing forever!lol

Patti, yes the stones don't align too much because I was trying to do different sizes instead of blocks...but you're right, it doesn't 'read' well
I'm going to work later on this one.

here's the original photograph, her rosary is hanging from her waist right where the light hits and not visible, the whole picture is fussy

[Quigley]

Cant wait for you to move here to NC as you will be one of the first portrait artist's I have ever met in person....I have sooo many questions

[Linda Marsteller]

Lovely, lovely painting and photo.
The shadows on the stone and behind the figure should be darker and more defined, esp with the light coming in from the window.. More shadows and concentrate the light source as stated above.
Lovely.

[Elena]

thanks Linda, you're right

Q, you won't be far far far in the mountains anymore, lol ...just be aware that I have an answer for everything, it might not be the right one, but I'll make it up if I have to! lol it's my nature

[Linda Marsteller]

Maybe a bit hazy in the garden. You know, misty...for mystical.
Still lovely!

A bit of history:

http://www.karmel.at/eng/teresa.htm

[strongv]

Elena you are such a wonderful painter... that squint and focus on the essential thing is exactly why that rosary is so nicely done.

The essentials... to tell a story by ONLY telling what is important and not getting distracted by details is a good analogy for this type of painting. Your story is visually about the light of God streaming through to the heart of this woman... Not stones.. not architecture, not arches...

How you explained your visualization of the rosary explained the whole painting to me.

GO for it! I love your painting.

[Elena]

Pat you made me all fuzzy inzide

[Linda Topel]

...Amazing girlfriend just amazing........and I can see why you were inspired with your mothers picture..... I would have to paint that too

[Cathy]

Just beautiful!

[Marcelo2012]

SO BEAUTIFUL .THE BEST ONE .

[Ron Francis]

My dearest Elena,
You've had so many nice compliments that I'm going to seem like an ogre!
I'm afraid that I'm going to pick your painting to pieces in a bit of a brutal way.

There is one basic element that is stopping you from creating the sense of light that creates a feeling of atmosphere in my opinion.
A simple rule: an object cannot be lighter than the light source that's illuminating it. The same goes for the colour of that object to a lesser degree, but still important.
I will list what I see as mistakes, and they all have to do with lighting...

1: What is illuminating the belly of the bird? The light source can only be coming from inside the window and the window sill.
So two things here, the value has to be darker than anything inside the window. The only thing lighter than the birds belly is some highlights on the woman's face, so the belly is impossibly light.
Secondly, if a white object is lit by a coloured light source, it will take on that colour. The belly should have been at least as brown as the stones.
This should then have become your lightest white in shadow, determining every other colour in shadow. That is, that dark white should have been the top of your compressed value range for shadows.

2: Why is the top of her sleeve not lit by the light? That plane is facing the light and should have been at least as light as the front of her dress. The same applies to the top of her hand and that part of the headdress on her breasts.

3: What is illuminating this? The floor? Look how dark the floor is. Incidentally, the floor where the light is hitting should be as light as the top part of the window sill. Light from the sun, even if diffuse, doesn't attenuate noticeably. That is, it doesn't get darker the further away from the sun the way it does with a light bulb.

4: This is supposed to be translucent? This is how I would have thought about it.
First if it was was opaque, it would be quite dark because the stones illuminating it are dark. This would make it quite a bit darker than the area directly behind it. Now those parts that are most translucent would go toward the colour of the background. One way to do this would be to paint it opaque first, then glaze or scumble the background on top where it is most translucent.
Have another look at the translucency of the real photo you attached.

5: Again, where is the light coming from? this is as light as the front of the dress which is getting light from the sun!

6: Arguably, the top edge of the stones should have the same value.
Certainly, any colour on the same plane should have the same value.

All of these things take care of themselves if you keep that rule I mentioned in your mind.
This is an ambitious scene to construct from memory and good on you for attempting it.
I hope you don't mind me critiquing it in this fashion. I know it's a bit late, but I just love it when you do something fantastic and I think keeping this basic idea may help you.
(I hope you still love me. XXX)

[Elena]

myfriend I love you more than ever!!!!!!!!!
I have tears of happiness, you have no idea how good you are to me, I needed this, as much as I like to believe I'm supersmart, I'm not, and my left brain disconnects on its own, so for me to be able to follow instructions and keep them present it's a hit-or-miss, some times it happens, some times 'the signal drops' and I'm left like wtf happened?where was I?

I've been trying to look at this painting with your value scale, the notes from your class, trying 'what if' I use the jack-in-the-box scale would it make senes? -no, I don't get it..confusing my zpecial self more and more.... Anita tried explaing to me several times and I still couldn't get it...

I knew I "invented" the lights completely wrong, using the spot lights from the photograph and mixing them with sun light, of course it doesn't work... but I didn't know where to start...So now I'm going to print you lesson (again) and go over everything many times until I get my little head connected

I even see something else wrong that you didn't mention and now I wonder if it's really wrong. I think the garden looks gloomy, I couldn't make the oil paint to lighten up as much as I was trying, and now I'm not sure..tell me what you think

I love you so much myfriend I send you a biiiiiiig cyberhug, I miss your real hugs, wish we were closer, you're the best!!! {and if someone thinks you're an ogre it has to be Shrek...cool funny dude with an english accent }

[Brian_Bullard]

This is a very good constructive criticism, Ron. The painting, to me, is so good, it was hard to see it subjectively, but you called it out well. It has a genre that I just couldn't pin, and now I think it was those biblical illustrations in books I saw as a child, that had a great look, and something sort of different,,,and maybe that was light in places it normally wouldn't occur.

I'm still in awe over that portrait closeup, and done with what looks to be such ease.

[Ron Francis]

[Marcelo2012]

hi me again I wish if I could paint like u do ,until now I paint just walls LOL u must be proud of u tks marcelo

[Elena]

Marcelo, thanks for your compliments, I used to think like you before October 2006, when I got williamized.
I took a workshop with William Cochran (www.williamcochran.com) that changed my life. That was the begining. Then in 2008 another with Pascal Amblard, and 2009 with Ron Francis where I learned how to make a perfect painting, but my silly A.D.D. wiped my memory off during this painting, which it's not a big deal, since we always have the faux forum to share our love and get smacked in the back of the head ...and like it

Ron, I can't thank you enough!!!!!! mmmmmmmmmmmmuuuah!!

[Marcelo2012]

hi Elena thank-u to share your experience , your cat is a good dancer , america got talent lol Marcelo .

[Bonnie Lecat]

Elena, thank you for posting this! What an ambitious painting! I applaud your efforts! Even if you are not happy with it technically, I think it is wonderful. Ron, thanks for your thorough and brilliant critique. Both of you helped us all learn a thing or two!!