.    .

K O'Connor(1939-2039)

Painted into a mid-toned grey primed canvas. Form built up with light colors against darker. Although some colors were used it is basically a "tonal-form-building method". The right, leg from the light flesh colored thigh to the foot, provides a good example of tonal painting.  Both  textured brush strokes and the use of subtle color attracts the eye to the interior forms which would otherwise be dominated by the strong contour.

.    .

K O'Connor(1939-2039)

Painted into a light grey primed canvas;  It uses more color to attract the eye to the interior forms  and places less emphases on the contour.  The additional color is used in a  "form lighting" style to  brings out the smaller individual forms as sub-components of the larger forms as illustrated in the back portion of the figure.  The entire painting shows a strong sense of male energy in it's overall form; note how right leg captures the strong male forms.

.    .

K O'Connor(1939-2039)

This is also a tonal painting. Note how the female model does not radiate the energy of the previous male model - it closes in on itself leaving behind only the body shell to be observed by the watching students.  I found this an interesting contrast with the previous male model. It's construction  follows the general methods outlined in the two previous paintings. This seems to be a common characteristic difference between male and female models. 
 

.    .

K O'Connor(1939-2039)

I dislike this painting.  I don't like side views in general (they lack variety) and am being torn between using line (I have always liked the eye movement as it follows flowing lines over the visual field), and  tone to build up strong interesting  forms.  

As a painter I reacted to the strong male form trying to capture it's energy. In the future when I combine male and female forms in the same composition I will have to consider ways of expressing the different energy characteristics.

.    .

K O'Connor(1939-2039)

Painting for me will never be the same again.  Although this female model's energy level was passive, her pose provided dynamic opportunities. She took a reclining pose which presented a matrix of complex angles and joints . My eye  went searching for my lyrical lines trying to organize what I was seeing into an expressive  unity. Using lines I sub-divided the canvas dynamically into three horizontal wedge shaped sections from top to bottom and placed the figure in the large center section. 

I began filing the large areas with  warm colors, yellows, greens and violets. I then added a strategic layer of colored lines of reds, yellows, violets, greens, and blues  placed to create forward and backward movement as the eyes of the viewer move along the lines encountering the various colored marks.  My use of  color was  changing and I knew there was no going back to my known tonal home.

.    .

K O'Connor(1939-2039)

 Note: I had previously completed, in class, a series of 20 minute color sketches from the model, which would in a subsequent class be worked up into paintings. 

This is the first of my experimental paintings worked up from a 20 minute color sketch. In this painting I use more color but am exploring a variation on the "continuous-side-theory". In the upper part of the body the dark blue defines that part of the form that moves away from the viewer, while in the lower part of the body the dark blue defines that part of the form that moves towards the viewer. 

I am in essence extending my control over my traditional tonal form building methods and at the same time adding variety to the work. I introduced metal type paint into the lines that cross the figure.  I am still trying to integrate these new color ideas with my old tonal methods.

.    .

K O'Connor(1939-2039)

This is the second of my experimental paintings and was worked up from a 20 minute color sketch. 

In this painting I am exploring the use of pure color to create form.  The advancing reds and oranges are the main components of this exercise.  I integrate the use of color with brush strokes  that follow traditional  methods that move the eye over the form, thus maintaining my lyrical linear omponent. 

It is of no concern to me that the figure looks like the skin has been removed, as the objective is to create forward and backward eye movement through the use of color.

.    .

K O'Connor(1939-2039)

 This painting uses painting no. 7 as the source image. 

It is more abstract and deals with flat color areas linked with lyrical lines and shapes. I am exploring pure colors that excite the eye - the actual painting is hard on the eyes - my art teacher wondered if I would go blind before working through this stage of my development. This  painting was instrumental in convincing me to begin a systematic study of simultaneous color contrasts.  
 

.    .

K O'Connor(1939-2039)

This painting makes extensive use of simultaneous color contrasts. The dark green vertical bars in the sidewalk are of the same green as the bars in the sky area. The green looks darker in one area and lighter in another because of the surrounding color/tonal contrasts. I also used the natural tone of the colors to determine the overall tone of the painting this has caused it to look darker in natural light as opposed to my studio lighting, and this is not the way I want to go. I will add a series of people along the sidewalk in front of the windows.  

I am in the process of working this painting up into a (28" x 45") size. I will subordinate the colors to a higher tonal key thus making a lighter painting but still keeping to my objective:  "making extensive use of simultaneous color contrasts" in conjunction with neutral and semi-neutral color shapes.