FACE MANIA

okáy ... it's official.

I'M COMPLETELY OBSESSED with FaCEs!! :=) :(

I'm filling up this 6th moleskin so quickly that I need to get another one on order.

This is my first "looking down" face.

I'm taking an on-line class with Suzi Blu- called "Piety & Passion" because I love, love Tudor history and this class combines learning the 3/4 face, with Tudor portraits, colors, textures, and she even has Tudor history to get you into their heads so that you can paint with imagination and with knowledge of the times. SO FUN!!

But in the meantime, I'm practicing faces from all different angles and noticing new things about them that I've never seen before. (oh dear-googly eyes as Suzi Blu calls them)

Also, another thing that has triggered this whole fACE MANIA thing is that I watched a master body painter, Mark Reid (mild caution- adult images also on this site) paint children's faces at an event in our small town. He was born here, and loves the little kids in his hometown. This is no simple face painting- this is wild, crazy wonderful art. And I watched and and listened as he spoke about using the body and face for a canvas -something that never crossed my mind really. But watching him interact which each child who was absolutely delighted for him to paint their face- well.. it was the coolest thing. Not only would you get to paint faces but you get to talk to the face your painting!!! And talk about the JOY! You've never seen so many beautiful HAPPY, HAPPY faces. He teaches classes and I'm dying to take one.

Of course, I had to come home and paint a butterfly face in my journal to remember the day and capture some of the images I saw. Now it looks kind of pitiful compared to what he was able to produce in minutes. But then he's had a life-time I tell myself.

This was my feeble attempt of trying to re-create some of the magic I saw in Miguel Martinez's art. His stuff blows me away and he's in my part of the country- and everything about his art touches me.

These images say to me, "Paint you wild wonderful crazy woman! Time is running out and there are so many portraits to paint! AND PAINT WELL- and you're not getting any younger! carpe diem!

I thought you might like to see my last painting of faces I posted earlier but this is after I completely finished and added a few more details.

I hope that I have infected you with some FACE MANIA! Please share yours with me and feed fuel to my already raging fire of passion about this subject.