Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The Yellow Scale Kelsey


There are several groups I love to paint with; one of my favorites is the Market Street Painters who meet on Fridays. I've been absent from most of my groups for awhile, as I've been working on some ideas and need to be uninfluenced. This summer though I rejoined MSP and have thoroughly enjoyed the company.
Kelsey came to model for us in a yellow gown and together with her yellow hair and her pose, immediately put me in the mind of Frantisek Kupka's captivating self-portrait, "The Yellow Scale." Its permanent home is in the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. The week after I painted Kelsey, I got to go see "The Yellow Scale" in person on the very day of my birthday. I found that, while I did have a reminiscence, my background was darker and heavier, and Kupka pushed the scale much harder than I did.
We will have a different model in the same dress this coming Friday; perhaps I will revisit my inspiration and have another go!