Robert Mapplethorpe

Patti just started this small canvas after a Robert Mapplethorpe photo.  Its a 9+12 canvas.  I had her sketch it out first for proportion and had her change the composition a bit.  I like that she enlarged the poppy and has the flower cropped on the right.   Doing this gives the painting a contemporary abstract look.  Mapplethorpe did some amazing photos of flowers in both color and black and white.  Patti was able to capture the elegance of this photo beautifully and her colors capture the drama. We'll see how it turns out................we did have an oopsie when Patti accidentally sprayed the drawing she had done on the canvas with WD-40 thinking it was a spray fix for charcoal..........well thats how we artist find new discoveries.  The WD gives a slickness to the canvas that makes the paint really slip when working........something to play around with.......hmmmmmmm.