I'm hoping that your Thanksgiving was wonderful in spite of social distancing with family.  This holiday season will be different for most of us, but just maybe we all will have more time to consider the meaning of the celebrations and to ponder our relationships with family.

Sir Thomas is a painting I created several years ago, but because he is such an icon for the season, I wanted to share him with you.  Now speaking of family, do you see his lady friends behind him?  I observed this grouping in a Texas woodland and Thomas was guarding his family from that human with a camera.  He kept his eye on me and of course strutted his stuff to impress me with his manliness.  Loved painting this scene with all of Thomas' color and the challenge of creating space and distance behind him.

 Christmas commissions have me working hard, but I'm never too busy to stop and talk with you if you come by the studio.  Check out my website and pick out a gift for you or someone you love.  janetbsessoms.com

I love a painting challenge!  Painting people and faces is one of those challenges that I accept occasionally and especially for loyal clients and friends.  These are the people who appreciate what I can do and are patient with my attempts.  I consider my portraits to be informal ones and enjoy trying to capture a likeness and hopefully some of the spirit of the subject.

Two of Us is one of my latest paintings and an example of my figurative work.  These figures are two brothers who enjoy each others company.  One is more reserved and one more outgoing....I'll let you guess who is who!  The recipients of the portrait requested the color scheme and size, so that decision was easy.

What are some of the other challenges that painting people present?  Am I drawing from life or a photo?  Do I know the subject and understand a little of their personality?  Is the photograph taken with a painting in mind or did a photographer use several light sources which flattens the form?  Is there one light source or at least not too many?  What is the temperature of the light and does that agree with the client's ideas?  What are the true skin and hair tones?  Are the expressions pleasant?  Do the outfits suit the vision for the painting? Consider the setting and what type of background is needed.  These are just a few of the issues, but I think you're beginning to understand.

Some extremely talented and skilled artists who paint figures all of the time can turn a head or body and put two or more bodies together without too much information.  Most artists I know, including myself, needs good reference material, either live or photographic.  The better the material, the more successful the results.  I sometimes think non artists believe I'm a magician, but I'm not.

Two of Us will be enjoyed by some special grandparents for a long time and hopefully by the subjects and their parents too.  Original  art is a true gift from the heart and one like no other.  Who can you gift with an original painting for that special occasion or just because you love them?

One of the many joys of living in the South is the variety of flowers whose fragrances permeate the air riding the warm breezes of the seasons.  My readers know I find joy in painting flowers, so when a loyal client inquired about my painting four Southern flowers for a bedroom, it was like "don't throw me in that briar patch"!  Of course I wanted to help with that task.  

Now, what four flowers to include?  The compositions all needed to be vertical, so that posture created a few limitations.  Another requirement was that all of the blossoms needed to be white or near white with a cool neutral background.  A magnolia was a must!  What would you have included?  Azaleas were chosen next and then camellias.  A dogwood was considered, but that really needed a horizontal composition to feature its gracefulness.  Gardenia!  That was the fourth and last choice and just about as southern as it gets.

Two paintings each were to be placed on either side of a mirror, so orientation of the blossoms to create variety and a sense of balance was the next decision.  I ended up with a single, a double with a bud, a threesome, and a group of azaleas.  That wasn't done intentionally, but just occurred because of the photographic motivations I possessed.  

Painting whites involves using warm and cool tints of most of the colors of the color wheel to give a sense of light and form.  Of course there had to be a small pop of a yellow, orange or magenta in a place or two.  The leaves offered contrast of value to frame the blossoms.

This has been a commission story that ended well.  Let me know if you enjoy hearing about my creative process or if you have any questions or subjects you would enjoy me addressing.

On the Sundays of November 8th and 15th, I will join my friend,  Susan at her Water+Color Gallery at River Lights to welcome visitors from the Parade of Homes tour.  There will be some active artists as well as artists to talk about the paintings and objects featured in the gallery. Looking forward to seeing you from noon to five pm.