Nude with a Flowered Screen - original oil painting of a nude

In one of my painting classes from many years ago, I was kidded about loving and paying attention to backgrounds.  Well, I still love backgrounds, and screens and old wallpaper are among my favorites.  Backgrounds, plus a model - does life get any better?  At least, art life.  I initially drew the pose with vine charcoal and then came back to my studio to paint in oil, using the drawing as my guide. 

This one was done rather quickly (I timed myself to fight my overworking tendencies) on 10 x 8" stretched canvas.  I don't usually like to work on canvas when doing nudes, but this worked well, for some reason.  Maybe it's that I have more paint on the surface. 

While painting, I was listening to The Poisoner's Handbook.  It's not what you might think  when you hear the title, but about the development of forensic science in New York City by a few dedicated chemists.  This book carried me through a number of paintings and, today, I'll begin another juicy one. Thanks so much for stopping by!