The last two days I've thrown myself into painting at the butt end of the evening, when I'm very tired. The unexpected assault has led to a bold start to a portrait I am attempting, and to some play this evening. I decided to act on a long temptation to paint my face.
As I write this the paint is all gone (except for the faintest trace of green still in my left temple and one side of my beard... or is that my imagination?) The whole thing lasted less than thirty minutes. I simply reacted to my face as I do to paintings in progress. What color seems to want to go where? What did I want to bring forward, what drop back. I can understand some of the fascination of theater, putting on makeup and then removing it...
I mugged in front of the mirror for some time, taking over thirty shots in all. These were some of the best. I call the third shot in this post, "Don't make me come over there." I was surprised at how different my expressions remained even with the paint, and how some expressions were magnified.
Sometimes the accidental and mistaken has a way of revealing truth. I liked this misfire of the camera because it seemed to catch me unaware - and for the rainbow before me, which wasn't there until I created the picture... that could be a metaphor for my life.
7 comments:
steve, when i read this in my reader, i thought he isn't meaning he is painting is actual face but then, lo and behold, you ARE all painted up when i get over here and see it...
you only come across with a partial feed, tricky you are and what i used to do, thus making us point and click our way out of our hazy fog at the end of the evening and come see exactly what you are up to....you are a very good face painter and i wager a guess you could be in the circus if you didn't already have a job, a clown, a painter of others, the scary guy on stilts or worst-or best- of all, a clown, oh sorry said that already....anyway, you have a good face for the paintin' my friend...have fun getting it all off without leaving parts of it on the sheets, pillowcases, dw and quilt.
X
hahahahaaaa .. I love this! The
3rd pciture is the best.
This is going to sound more shallow than usual - but cool!!!!!
You've taken face painting to another level! What a great idea! I especially love the expression of the third photo. Its dramatic intensity goes well with the paint tattoo. :)
You have all passed. Steve was worried about the comments he would get. I was looking at the comments (with him) to see if the commenters (tors?) would understand and enjoy. He was worried about being judged. I was judging you. You have passed with flying colors.
(aren't you glad I don't comment here more often?!)
Well, I'm glad you didn't use the oil paints this time :-)
As a woman who spent her life in makeup I completely get this desire to express your self portraiture in this most literal of ways. I think I like the first one best, but they're all wonderful.
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