"Walter" Oil Painting

"Walter"
2015
oil on canvas
12 x 12 inches

The end of 2014 was pretty busy, and I hadn't had much time to paint. I decided to start 2015 with some smaller projects to get me back in the swing of things. My painting instructor, Dean, reminded me a couple of years ago that not all paintings have to be masterpieces. The important thing to remember is to continue painting and keep practicing. I took his advice to heart and started working on a small painting about a week and a half ago. I wanted something fun, so I decided to work on an addition to what I am now calling my "Stuffie Series". I actually finished it last week, but hadn't posted it on the blog yet.

You may recall my first painting almost three years ago was of my Volland Raggedy Ann. It's 12 x 12 inches, which is a nice smaller size. I also did "portraits" of Collete and Chester in December of 2013. My thought is that together, they are a series of paintings of favorite stuffed toys, whether they are mine, or belong to family or friends. Clearly, I have a love of these soft, stuffed guys, and I've been told that my affection for them comes across in the final product. I like to think that these paintings have some charm and character coming through them.

Anyhow, that's where Walter comes in. You may recall that I won Walter from a carnival game at the North Carolina State Fair (in Raleigh, hence his name) last October.


Trina and Walter immediately after he was free from the Carni-life!

Walter is a cute little guy, with lots of appeal, so I thought he would make a fine painting subject. He seemed to like the idea of posing, and took it all very seriously.

During the first session, I put a white ribbon on him, just to add a little something. Here's Walter and his painting on the first day.


Walter, posing with a ribbon


Walter painting at the end of Session One

When Dick saw the painting, he wasn't a fan of the ribbon, and suggested a tie instead. We selected one from his closet and he tied it around Walter's neck. Much better! Walter looks so much more composed and serious with the tie.

I actually only spent two short sessions on this painting. I thought I might have a little more to do, but I'm actually happy with how it was looking and decided it was done.


My still life set up


Walter's finished painting

The thing I'm most happy with about how this painting turned out, is that I think it is more "painterly" than most of my other, larger paintings. I specifically tried to keep my brush strokes cleaner and separate (rather than smoothing them all together), and I like the effect very much. I'm also happy with the speed at which I painted this one. Again, having listened to Dean's advice, I tried not to take this too seriously, and I think that helped with the more painterly style. I also think his expression turned out quite well - I think he has a lot of charm and character. :)

I'm going to try to do a few more of these smaller paintings or studies. I can see what the benefits of working on them can be.