Hard days work at the marble

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Guthlac
Well after about 4 hours work I have decided to call it a day.  I have just about exhausted my artistic powers, such as they are, for one day.  David is slowly coming together and I have to say it is shaping up really well.  Of course I’m now facing a dilemma – just how much detail should I include before I consider the painting complete?  I have no answer to this question and I suspect I won’t have until I’ve finished the work but it is an interesting one as Michelangelo has included virtual every visible vein and tendon so am I true to this or should just suggest with a slight tonal shift.  I suspect I may well find answer somewhere between the two or perhaps I may well create two final paintings – I’m after all using a digital medium so I should use that to me advantage.

Interesting times.  

Simon Marchini 

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Another Icon Painting

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Guthlac
David_progress_v1

Well this is perhaps the most ambitious painting I have ever tried – no strike that it is.  This is a painting about perfection in almost every sense, the subject is perfection produced by a devine and so I have to rise to the challenge – not much pressure there then.  I always you have to push yourself to see where one’s boundaries are and this certainly does that.  Wish me luck!

Simon Marchini 

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Not sure….why is everybody so serious

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Guthlac
Dc_-_day_1_-_small

Well I’m still working on the Duchess of Cambridge portraits and I’m not sure about this so far – however I’ve taken it as far as I can today – need to sleep on it.  Anyway, I’ve been reading some of the really bitchy reviews of the official portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge – I’m just glad I don’t have to do this for a living.  Some of the views seem to be better placed in a forum rather than a national newspaper.  For the record I’m not a so sure about the painting but I as I haven’t seen it in the flesh, as it were, I think I’ll reserve judgement – however I’ve seen far worse “official” portraits than this one so maybe a certain amount perspective should be applied.

Simon Marchini 

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Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn, Baroness Carrickfergus – another icon

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Guthlac
Km_final_version_v1

Well I seem to be trying to paint icons at the moment.  This portrait was inspired by the lukewarm reception for the first official portrait of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn, Baroness Carrickfergus – just how hard would it be?   Well I’m really quite pleased at my first stab – on and off it has taken me most of the day.  Again two things come to mind – first plagiarism – this is, after all, based on a photograph I found on the internet.  However, I feel that I have sufficiently altered my painting to make any suggestions moot – especially with a woman who, over the space of 18 months is possibly the second best known woman in the world, after her husband’s grand mother.  The second is that because the Duchess is so well known any suggestion of plagiarism is pointless – her face belongs to the world – such as Marilyn Monroe’s.  One thing is true though, there are very few photographs of the Duchess that are not formulaic either some had taught her very well or this is image chosen by the picture editors.  I suspect it is a little bit of column a and little bit of column b.

Anyway, I’ve found an image that is very similar to the new official portrait and so I will try and create my version – should be an interesting chalange.

Simon Marchini 

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Countess of Strathearn’s eye

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Guthlac
Countess_of_strathearn_-_eye

As there seems to be a bit of controversy over the new  official portrait of the Countess of Strathearn I thought I’d have a go and see what I could produce.   Here is just a sample of what I have produced so far

Simon Marchini 

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Moving on to another icon

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Guthlac
Mm_poster_-_day_1

Well that is enough of Batman, for a while at least – I suspect there is more to come from that source.  No this time I’m looking at creating a painting of possibly the biggest icon of the modern era.  I wonder how this is going to turn out?

Simon Marchini 

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Comic Book Batman – the Dark Knight Rises

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Guthlac
Well I have started to develop the final and most important character of the painting – Batman.  This is based on the underpainting I do for all my paintings – it looked so good that I thought I should keep a copy.

Simon Marchini 

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The Dark Knight Rises – Cat woman – Day 1

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Guthlac

Simon Marchini 

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Dark Knight Rises – Bain

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Guthlac
Bain_-_day_1_-_small

I have started on what is my most ambitious painting, a Dark Knight Rises montage of the three main characters, Batman, Cat woman and Bain.  The biggest problem I am facing is how to make it unique rather than a pastiche of the PR shots for the film.  I’m not sure I have come up with an answer to that yet but like all problems the more you work them the more interesting solutions you come up with – even if some of the solutions are off the wall. 

Simon Marchini 

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Peterborough

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Guthlac
Well it has been 24 hours and I have recovered from my day at Peterborough.  That makes it sound like the place is some staging post on the road to hell which it certainly isn’t, in fact it really is quite a pleasant medium sized county town with a new town bolted onto it.  In many ways it suffers from a split personality as a result – the medieval heart fighting the modern world.  On top of this you really do notice that it is now the capital of the the settlement of people from the east – not the first time in its history.

Simon Marchini 

Iphone--16-4_-_peterborough_arIphone--16-3_-_peterborough_ar

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