Portrait 2: Concept to Canvas

The risk of this idea is a little troubling, fighting full figure, full colour and full canvas is allot when I think I was scared of doing objects in black and white just two months ago.

None the less I am applying passion and logic as I always do with the hope to learn. The Decision of the pose and content took me the longest, actually researching thing and getting a few sketches down went a little easier than anticipated. Also music to fuel the fire took allot of searching and begging.

After making a few successful sketches my confidence grew, which were welcomed because after many steps to create a canvas I would hate to paint something I did not like, evidently I am more heavily invested in this project than I am usedto.

I fairly pleased with my start, but on review of what I have on canvas with past images; I feel I have made a structural error with the leg being a little too thick. I will have to figure out if it is acceptable to the piece or not.

When I was a young boy I was afraid ...

"When I was a Young boy I was a afraid.." Peter Minshall, Carnival Mas designer.

Minshall's quote probably best expresses what most children first feel when they see a Jab Molassie. As a child I hated Carnival, too many people too loud to many smells. Baby oil and Cocoa, paint, glue and feathers, horse dung and burning asphalt prompted me to cover my nose. I hated to go into Port-of-Spain, but my parents insisted though neither of them would prove to be true Carnival fanatics; I am thankful for their effort and my exposure.

The Jab Molassie group or "Band" would come "chipping" down the street for spectators to see, they were covered in either paint, mud or Cocoa mixed with oil. With horns on their head, a devils tail and a pitch fork to "jab" you; they would chant "Pay the devil, Pay the Devil" in unison to the rhythm as the beat tins, drums and bottles. They would use food colouring or "Kool-Aid" to make their tongues bleed enhancing the grotesque masquerade. 

The idea was simple, give them coins or notes and they would leave you alone. Leave you clean. They typically terrorised children, but parents culturally would create fear in their children's mind long before the arrive. 

This rite of passage is our baptism into the Carnival.

Years later having survived the mental trauma; hormones birthed an interest into the Carnival Masqerade or Mas. Opening oneself half naked in the hot sun in the middle of the capital city draws in a spiritual experience that all virgin masqueraders experience. The freedom is simply therapeutic. My "Monkey Gland raise" or the wild energy picked me out of all others around me and slowly the Jab Molassie surfaced. 

I lived for Carnival and lived the carnival as a Jab Molassie. Honest and unafraid the "Wildness" in me was always welcomed socially. A fire-starter an Ice breaker, me and others like me brought the energy like a drug to make the party people forget, shrug off inhibition and be themselves if only for a while.

Now I must hide my energy in places far too polite to understand the beauty in uninhibited energy. Where persons rather appear polite than be honest. I have grown accustomed to the facade, but the Jab Molassie still remains ... or is it leaving me. A gift for someone far more deserving of its powers...

Jab Molassie

Jab is the French patois for 'Diable' (Devil), and Molassie is the French patois for Mélasse (Molasses). The Jab Molassie is one of several varieties of devil mas played in Trinidad and Tobago carnival. The costume consists of short pants or pants cut off at the knee, and a mask and horns. The jab malassie would carry chains, and wear locks and keys around his waist, and carry a pitch fork. He may smear his body with grease, tar, mud or coloured dyes (red, green or blue). The jab molassie "wines" or gyrates to a rhythmic beat that is played on tins or pans by his imps. While some of his imps supply the music, others hold his chain, seemingly restraining him as he pulls against them in his wild dance.


The differences among the various forms of devil mas were once distinct, but have become blurred over time.

Carnival ....

In 1498, Christopher Columbus landed in Trinidad and as was the practice in the so called age of Discovery and Exploration, took possession of the island in the name of the King and Queen of Spain. The island did not have the promise of immense wealth like the other countries in Spain’s Western empire. Trinidad was, therefore, largely ignored for over two hundred and fifty years.

In 1776, out of concern for this state of affairs, the Spanish king issued a Cedula of Population, which opened the island to colonization by the French. A second Cedula followed in 1783. This saw an even larger influx of planters from the French West Indian islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe and Saint Dominigue. Arriving also were Free Coloreds and Africans. The French brought with them their cultural traditions, language, dress, food and customs.

In 1797, Trinidad was captured by the British and was made a crown colony of Great Britain. The British immediately began the process of colonization as they had in Barbados and Jamaica two centuries before.

In this era, the period between Christmas and Lent was marked by great merrymaking and feasting by both the French and English. Historians of the nineteenth century wrote about the balls, fetes champetres and house to house visiting engaged in by the white upper class. It was also the custom of the British to impose martial law during the Christmas season. Military exercises were performed at the start of this martial law.

The Carnival celebrations between 1783 and 1838 were dominated by the white elite. Africans and coloreds (persons of mixed race) were forbidden by law to participate in street festivities. This is not to say that they did not celebrate in their own way in their compounds.

During this period also, there were numerous balls, parties and other entertainment. This gave the Africans some measure of freedom to enjoy themselves and engage in merry making. These festivities, along with the pomp and ceremony involved in imposing martial law, provided the Africans with ideas for some of the earliest masquerades for carnival.

The pre-emancipation carnival saw whites costume themselves as ‘negre jardin’ (field Negroes) and mulatresses. They also reenacted the Cannes Brulees (French for Burning Canes): the practice of rounding up slaves to put out fires in the cane field.

With the emancipation of the slaves in 1838 however, the door was opened for the full participation of the Africans in the Carnival.

Blue ?

Boscoe Holder

The evolution of my ideas has forced me to return home...

Boscoe Holder is the first artist that I ever made me dream. In my teenage years I visited Trinidad's Port-Of-Spain small Museum just to look at his paintings weekly. He worked primarily on the female form, and in darker women skin tones, contrasting with natural Caribbean colours. 

I feel with Boscoe Holder I can have a good start, as I believe he saw beauty and Trinidad in unconventional places as I do. He never strayed too far into the abstract but would rather experiment with different techniques. 

After revisiting his work , I now realise that travel and time away from home have made me stray away from my natural flow. This is the premise of my next piece.

Biography ...

Boscoe Holder was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad in the early 1920s. He died on 21.4.2007 at his residence in Newtown, Port of Spain.

He already painted when he was five years old and was an accomplished pianist at a very early age as well, playing for the wealthy French Creole, Chinese and Portuguese at their functions by the time he was 9 years old. In his late teens he formed his own dance company. In his dance he used traditional Afro-Caribbean interpretations: shango, bongo and bélé. He frequently used his dancers as models for his paintings. In 1950 Boscoe Holder moved to London,England where he danced and performed on the piano at all the well-known theatres and clubs. By that time he was married to Sheila Clarke who was his lead dancer in his own dance company and also became his favourite model for his painting. He has staged many one man exhibitions in Trinidad and exhibited also in New York, Helsinki, Stockholm, Ostende and England. At the end of the 1960s he returned to his native land where he established himself soon as one of the top painters, not only in Trinidad and Tobago, but throughout the Caribbean. Boscoe Holder has exhibited frequently in most of the Caribbean islands and his paintings can be found in many collections around the world.

Portrait 2: Research

This new project has occupied more than half of the used pages in my journal, but despite all the sketches and scratches I only feel like I now have something able to develop.
None the less this blog addresses my research, both technical and content related.

(1) Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres:
Looking at furthering portrait style and technical know how I reviewed and read "Portraits by Ingres".His style was impeccable, his subject matter a little questionable by me. But his self portrait "Young man with Earring" spoke to me as seemed to convey an openness and vulnerability of the artist through the pose, gaze and colours.

(2) The Portrait Now:
I managed to find the text where Elaine got so many of her examples and was able to look through all the artists and their work in depth. To rename each and why would be redundant so here is who stuck out to me.
Technically speaking the "Kate Moss" by Chuck Close caught my eye for its detail, especially as it worked for his usual large scale. But Eric Fisch's technique drew me in as he mixes a contrast of brush strokes from a smooth background to rough skin tone. I see the use of this in a piece but not sure I would try it in this project.

(3) Painting People: Figure Painting Today
The text was the simplest I could find in a sea of human anatomy books at Clemens. What I needed was a text that I could always refer to when doing my initial sketches.

(4) The artist guide to facial expressions:
This text had allot to offer, but far too much to study in one sitting. Especially as my last piece was fairly expressionless. Now having arrived at a piece that will include not one but two facial expressions, I fell I can now go back and consult the technical explanations of the facial gestures.

How to Build a Canvas

(1) Cut wood (45 degree Angles), drill holes at corners for screws.
(2) Score inside of angles for glue to grip.
(3) Add wood Glue.
(4) Add angles and clamps to corners at Top Edge Corners.
(5) Wait 1 Hour for glue to dry.
(6) Drill in Screws (Make sure drill is set to forward).
(7) Sand inside of Frame.
(8) Cut Canvas, size of frame plus 4" on each side.
(9) Staples (move top middle>Bottom middle> left Middle> Right Middle)
(10) Staples Pull tight with each staple, two inches between staples, leave two
        inches at the corners.
(11) Pull Corners to triangle and fold to staple (like gift wrapping).
(12) Prime Canvas with Gesso, mix Half gesso and half water.
(13) Apply to canvas in a circular motion,
        the smooth with brush (30 Mins to dry)
(14) Sandpaper surface
(15) 2nd Coat Gesso, undiluted, smooth (30 mins to dry)
(16) 3rd Coat Gesso, not too much Gesso, smooth.

Portrait 2: Brainstorming

For our next project I have come across many ideas and as I have been trained, worked through thoughts to develop one, stick to it and then go with all guns.

I believe I am missing the Point.

This is an art class, I am not here to make great works of art. Because lord knows I am far from doing anything of the sort. What I am here to do is learn. My main complaint was to get away from the vanity of doing another self portrait and looking at myself for another few weeks. But now I see that I will make mistakes, and there is no better mug to cut your teeth on than your own.

I have four main ideas:
(1) Sofija (shot of myself from behind holding my daughter).
(2) Hole (Shot of myself in a hole looking up)
(3) Vitruvian Man (personalisation and updating of Da Vinci's famous sketch)
(4) Comic book hero (personalisation of comic book art in oil)

I decided on number four (4) after spending the past three days sick and looking at Wolverine and the Xmen episodes on Netflix.

Elaine gave me one question: "Russel would you be able to attain the level of realism and detail that you would want?"

After an afternoon thinking about it I realise that she is right. As I self professed before "simpler is better", I would probably say more without going into so much literal detail. I will leave that type of process for when I am a self accomplished painter.

Given all the evidence of my technical work needing work, my painting development and my current emotional state; I believe that if I start simple and work in other elements through style and colour I will be able to create a piece that will forward my skill and be ripe with content.

Back to the drawing board, mind the pun ....

Portrait 1: Closing in

The circular motion of a portrait piece has worked well for me. I have found skill that I was not sure I would be able to attain. But at the end I still believe my technical skill needs much work.

Blind confidence in this piece has been for the least nerve wrecking. Yes I stuck to the rule, and yes I have begun to develop my own personal process and technique. But I am far from secure in my work in oil and see space for allot more patriot study in the future. Going forward hoping that it all works out is needed but has its costs. My objective is to produce a work that can be sold or at least appreciated by the the portrait model.

That being said I can now see that I can go forward and research the use of different brush strokes and how it may better be used. I also intend to look into other types of brushes. Sharpen technical skills so that I do not have to redo so much that I have to re-use paint when I get one colour correct as I still have to go back and make it correspond with what I have already done. Maybe this is part of every artists process, but for now I feel it is getting in the way of my imagination.

In the last critique I was shown to address the following:
Revise Left eye
Lighten Background
Finish forehead
Lip colour too red

Portrait 1: Limbo

Maybe it was that I thought the project was due in a week. Maybe because when I realized I had two weeks I knew I would not have time this week. Maybe it was working the process consumed me and I just wanted to complete it.

Whatever the reasons I put in the brunt of my time in last week. It has payed off mostly, I still have technical troubles but giving that the technique is making sense it actually is a pleasure to go back at the piece. Every session I did the piece made a stronger resemblance, I just had to go with a blind confidence that I would get it right. Working the around the face felt allot more natural in a face than it does with a still life.
I actually hope that I don't mess with it so much that I make a mess or lose what good I have.

This is new to me as I can actually have a piece finished on time that I am satisfied with me.

For the benefit of  any readers and to imprint it on my dull brain. Every session works like this:

• Make corrections first.
• Start dark thin paint to light thick.
• Work background, to mass, to detail.
• Don't be afraid to wipe paint off, especially if it is for your light values.

My best tip (which I learnt from watching others),
Mix colors small, then mix more .. saves allot of paint and palette.