Jeremy Lipking

So, I started to get worn out searching for images to analyze. I had been looking for paintings that really affected me either emotionally, intellectually or viscerally, but after months of looking for these types of pictures, the joy of experiencing art became more like a school project and some of the magic wore off. In taking some time off, I have found that wonderful imagery has simply leaked back into my consciousness and now, without having to force the issue, I think I have a number of new images that I would like to talk about. That being said, I would like to talk about this image from Jeremy Lipking. Being interested in fantasy art, it was interesting to learn that Lipking studied with Glen Orbik, a Spectrum favorite of mine for his often pulpy and painterly style. Lipking himself has deviated a bit from the fantasy realm that Orbik enjoys, but there is some overlap in his work that shows a definite link to the Pre-Raphaelites like Waterhouse and Draper. This image may be considered more of an oil sketch than a complete painting. It's hard to say because even in this sketch, Lipking's prowess with the brush eclipses even my best efforts at a "finished" painting. A friend of mine named Grant Cooley recently began doing master copies, targeting certain images for specific characteristics. That idea will be put to use here in that the obvious strength of this piece is the brushwork. Lipking paints on lead primed linen. This image shows a figure seated on a chair in front of her painting box and palette. You cannot see her facial expression, but from herr body language, you can tell that she is calm, quiet and being very thoughtful in her task of painting. There is a combination of thin and thick strokes in this piece, where Lipking employees the standard practice of thin darks and thicker lights. The sigularity of certain strokes emphasize the forms perfectly, such as a the singular diagonal stroke of the chair leg, and the two thin horizontal strokes indicating the environement to the upper left of her head. The thinness of these background strokes really helps to push the environment that surrounds the figure into the distance, allowing the thicker, more delicately place strokes of the figure's fabric and hair to push her form forward. The ultra soft edges of the strokes in the figure's dress help to indicate a level of movement in the figure, even though the positioning and pose are relatively static. One expects at any moment that this quiet girl will spring to life and begin to apply paint strokes of her own. It is honestly these soft edged strokes that I was to apply in my own work.