I made a small (10" x 8") painting based on this idea, which came from a pastel drawing that did from memory after first drawing this subject in graphite from direct observation. Thus, this larger canvas (36" x 30") is four times removed from the original subject. My initial inspiration, however, is manifested more in this painting than any of the other, earlier works. The reason for this is that an objective representation of the visual attributes of the subject is of very little importance to me. I'm much more interested in creating an image that represents my emotional response to the initial encounter with the subject. The further removed I am from objective description the better.
I always have difficulty with the word "realism" when applied to art. Typically, a work of art that looks exactly like the subject is refered to as "realistic" but, as far as I am concerned, nothing could be more artificial than a painting that doesn't look like a painting.
