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Hi Brenda,
Usually I do a color study from life if the person is willing or able to give me about an hour or so. I take photos and create the composition from a combination of the idea in my head, thumbnail sketches, and photos. In this case it was a hot day and my husband was breaking out in a sweat, though the air conditioner was on. I think it was the afternoon and the sun was heating up the room. I felt sorry for him, so I let him off the hook and painted him from the photos, which happened to have turned out extremely well. If I have a really good reference I can work from the photos because I have done so many portrait sketches from life, I know what I'm looking for and how to interpret the references. As I was painting the room, there were passages where I felt I did not have enough information of detail or color, so I did those parts from life.
The color is generally what I see, but at the same time I'm always interpreting and making choices and adjustments. I don't think a work of art should ever be simply a literal rendering of life. It puts things together from life into a meaningful whole. I always think of it as being like a writer choosing descriptive words or not writing every word of the conversation. Not to get all philosophical on you ( a bad habit), but you could say the color is derived from a direct observation of life.
This is what happens when you ask me a simple question!
Alex
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