Shamari
Shamari, 2024. Colored pencil, acrylic paint, and airbrush on glued cyanotype prints. Exposed family and playground photo negatives, flora, doilies, salt, beads, lock and keys, void stickers, lace, and chains. 38 x 75 inches.
The fourth portrait in my Rest Series is based on my beautiful friend Shamari who works full-time in conservation work and part time as a teacher. She is a joy to be around and full of boundless energy, despite her never-ending work.
This larger than life painting is a work in progress. I plan to continue extending my canvas by glueing together more prints and eventually paint the whole figure from head to toe.
I took this picture on July 7th, 2024 to capture the first step of my process. While this may not look like much, this is how each project starts. I lay out my prints and identify what will be used, where and how. I have learned to typically put the brightest whites of my prints wherever I will be painting skin so that it shows up best. I do use a digital mock up and my projector to help me with this process.
An in-progress shot of my painting process. I had not finished gluing all the prints together before I started painting. Working in this flexible manner gives me total control over my canvas. I can determine both shape and size. The process of glueing and pressing many prints together takes days because I can only do one section at a time and I want the glue to bond well.
The Rest of the “Rest” Series
I would like to thank Shamari for being such a wonderful model, inspiration and friend. This project would not be possible without her participation, enthusiasm and kindness.