A Well-earned Salute to Pin-Up Art

Above: Illustration by WWII-era French pin-up artist Romain Hugault,
for Michael Malak's forthcoming collection of pin-up art, "Wings of Angels". 

The is Model Caitling Litzinger.

My thanks to Dennis Coppinger for sending this one my way.  Facebook's "the Pinup Files" is a real treat for fans and collectors of pin-up art. I love the vintage, but was so thrilled to see the top-notch work from contemporary artists  Authentic, well-done... With an aesthetic that grew out of the era before silicon and special effects. This is how I imagine the ideal "Venus..." What a great collection! 

Upcoming Show: Rochester Erotic Arts Festival (REAF)

Above: "Wrapped." by Portia St. Luke 2003. (Pen and ink.)
One of the pieces invited to be displayed at the Rochester Erotic Arts Festival

The good news is that I've been invited to have three pieces displayed at the Rochester Erotic Arts Festival (April 5-6, Rochester, NY). This international juried exhibition, now in its fourth year, seeks out “high quality original works that are creative, erotic and thought-provoking.”

I loved being part of the experience last year, and I loved reading this reviewer's take on last year's exhibit.

The pieces that are selected for the coming exhibit include "Astarte," "AutumnFairy," and “Wrapped.”  My deepest gratitude to Graeme Fletcher for his help and “hand-holding” in what was a very intimidating process. His experience in the art world and consummate professionalism were invaluable. I couldn't have done this without him.

Do you want to be part of the party? The "Hotel REAF discount" is available through March 25th for $109 per night, plus state and local taxes (currently 14%). [Click here for more information.]

Even if you are not near the Rochester, NY area, and have no way to be able to make it to this festival, virtual hugs to all of you who sent love and great advice. I read through all of it (even if I did not respond to each one individually.) The encouragement I've received from the community here has really allowed me to have the confidence to try taking my work as, specifically, as an erotic artist to another level, and I'm grateful to each of you who has played part in that.

Artist to watch out for: Boris Indrikov

Art Deco is revisited with new eyes through the hand Russian illustrator of Boris Indrikov.  Hauntingly psychological, Indrikov blends almost architectural design elements that made Art Deco what it was (Math + Geometry meet nature) with Russian folklore, and finishes it off with a delightful kiss of the erotic and the sensual.

Above: Indrikoff, Boris. The Premonition 

2012. Oil on canvas. 80 x 100 cm.

Artist to watch out for: Isobel Williams

London figurative artist Isobel Williams is one of those rare, wonderful traditionalists who is wiling to stand in the middle of the great "be here now" and draw the living world around her as it happens. I was introduced to her through this collection of gestural ink drawings on her blog of life drawings, Boulevardisme, but her other blog, Drawing from and Uncomfortable Position, covers her occupation and avocation, court-room drawing in local London courtrooms and general drawing from life. Much of her (best) work could be counted as erotica, and possibly NSFW (depending on where you work), but I felt she was worth taking the time for a click and a look, as an artist who knows her craft and practices it well.  I hope you enjoy her work as much as I did.

Above: Williams, Isobel. 2012

"Financial Times Office"

Rethinking Salome

The dance of Salome for the Head of john the Basptist is one of the many Bible Stories that I've wanted to explore for a long time.  Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau has an interesting take on the subject, and, this fall, the the Hammer Museum is presenting an exhibition devoted to Gustave Moreau’s Salome Dancing before Herod.  The write up calls this, "one of the most remarkable and best-known paintings in the museum’s collection."  One of the parts that makes this particular exhibition so interesting is that it includes the related paintings, drawings, and preparatory studies that went into this piece, which allows us to see more of how the artist worked and went through his creative process.  Typically, most of these materials are housed in his home country, France.

When fellow artist Michael Manning sent me the link about the exhibit, he added, "Moreau's work has an iconic sensuality to it - haunting/haunted-looking figures, shadowy supernatural environments, and layered textures, all dripping with exquisite detail, sometimes incised directly into the paint surface - that can be almost overwhelming, even chilling to me."

Looking at Moreau's take on Salome has me re-thinking how I might work this subject when I get a chance to tackle it.  What is the best way to capture, in paint, a dancer so sensuous that she could make a king take leave of his senses?  It's an interesting question!

Gustave Moreau, Salome Dancing before Herod (detail) 1874-76

Gustave Moreau, Salome Dancing before Herod (detail) 1874-76

Above: Gustave Moreau. Nude Female Model for Salome (Study for Salome Dancing before Herod)

Autumn Fairy, Finished Image

Final details and Finished Piece: Here's where the most opaque "darkest darks" and "lightest lights" are added, and always with care and restraint. Remember, true black and true white do not occur in nature, so before adding a really inky black or a hot, bright white, I make sure to really think about it. More often than not, that black is really a deep burnt umber, and that white is an off-white or cream. However, if they need to show up, this is the layer where that fine definition happens. "Finis!"

Autumn Fairy: Sixth Stage Paint

Above: Autumn Fairy, Work in progress: Sixth Stage Paint

Sixth layer paint. Introduced vermilion for the warm reds and oranges, while further defining and refining the details. With the exception of the preliminary pencil sketch everything up to this point has been created using thin layers of watercolor only. No ink or opaque pigment has been added yet.

Autumn Fairy - Fifth Stage Paint

Above: "Autumn Fairy - Fifth Stage Paint." by Portia St. Luke

Here, I'm adding ultramarine blue to the shadows. In the places where it's being painted over existing dark brown (burnt umber) it will look black, but combining ultramarine and burnt umber creates a much richer black with more subtlety. Even when mixed on the palette the "black" that results is much truer to nature than straight-out-of-the-tube "ivory black" or "bone black." The artist can control the mix and create a warmer or cooler black by using more of one pigment than the other.

Work in progress: Autumn Fairy

Cross-posting this for anybody who has not yet visited the Portia St Luke Illustrations Facebook site. I've created a folder of images showing the progress of my new fantasy piece, "Autumn Fairy." Scanning this piece each day means my friends and fans can watch as the piece develops. If you visit the page, click "like" in order to receive updates showing each day's new scan. 

First layer paint: The preliminary graphite pencil sketch is covered in a simple wash of color. I choose a light tint of something that I know will carry well throughout the rest of the piece. 

Second layer paint: The light yellow wash is worked in a monochrome "griselle." This was a common technique of the renaissance masters. Earth tone pigments were, and are, usually less expensive than the bright mineral-pigments used to create the brighter colors. A monotone griselle was a way to define form, highlight, and shadow without dipping into the bright colors. The "griselle" could be worked in deep greens, dark browns, or even true gray (as the name suggests.) I used burnt sienna, since it complements the overall "autumn" theme of the piece.

Third layer paint: The monochrome "griselle" gets the beginnings of color. I started with a very light wash of sap green for the vegetation and light washes of violet to darken and further define the shadows.

Fourth layer paint: Continuing to work in burnt sienna, sap green and violet, darkening and further defining the form and shadows. At this point, I begin working burnt umber with a very fine brush into the details that will be the darkest. True black, like true white, occurs in the natural world only rarely, so these pigments will be added only at the very end.


All images c. Portia St. Luke 2012

  

  

Saturno Butto: A Florentine Master in the Modern World

Above: by Saturno Bruno

High Renaissance and early Baroque painting holds a fascination for me in a way than no other artistic period or style possibly can. The meticulous attention to detail, light, shadow, reflected counter-light, textures, drapery, anatomy... For me, the art world reached its apex in the 1500's - 1600's.  Caravaggio has always been a favorite.  Artemisia Gentileschi, his contemporary, was influenced by his work, and rose to a level that was clearly on-par with his brilliance. Often, I feel I could work my entire life with the hope of being that good.

(Pictured right: Caravaggio's "Judith Beheading Holofernes," 1598.
Left: Artemisia Genteleschi's treatment of the same subject, 1614) 

Finding Saturno Butto was like finding a light in the middle of a very dark world. Here is a living painter who has the skill to paint as well as either Caravaggio or Gentileschi ever did, while throwing disturbingly modern twists such as medical equipment, modern lingerie, and weapons, into what could otherwise be a flawless reproduction of the Renaissance Masters.  Far from being a run-of-the-mill copyist, his work has its own dark, uneasy feel to it... elements of psychology and theology intertwine to create a so-real-you-could-touch-it mixture that is, somehow, both sacred and profane at the same time.

Unfortunately, his main portfolio site is possibly the most Flash-heavy piece of web-construction I've run into, making it very slow or difficult to navigate if your computer is not running at peak efficiency.  It's worth taking the time to look through, but, sadly, that may mean time, and lots of it.   Thankfully, the interwebs are vast, and he can be found just as easily on FaceBook.  The on-line gallery von Scaramouche was able to provide this intriguing interview with the Master himself. 

Von Scaramouche describes "a man who, with the exception of a decade related to art studies, never left Bibione, a small Venetian city alongside the sea, where he lives and works," and yet can be called "one of the most captivating figurative painters around today."

For a real treat, find a time when you will not be interrupted and music by Claudio Monteverdi (16th century) or Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (18th century)   (This is very easy to do if you have Pandora.)  Mute your phone.  This world can wait.  Listen to the music, and loose yourself in the dark and twisted beauty of the world that lives within Saturno Butto's paintings.   

(Left and below:  various paintings by Saturno Butto) 

Artist to watch: Tancrede Szekely

Just when I'd begun to think that glamour photography had become a lot of the "same ol' same ol'," I discovered the work of Tancrede Szekely.  A native Polish speaker, he began his career "in the heart of Transylvania," but these days he calls Catalona, Spain his home.  A master of the high-contrast, his brilliant reds and greens sparkle like the fire found in the hearts of jewels.  Conversely, the subjects themselves (usually exquisitely beautiful ladies) often appear to be de-saturated, giving an other-worldly pallor to their flawless skin.





Most of his best work appeared on FetLife, which will not work as a link unless you have a FetLife account yourself (FetLife is free, but you have to have your own account to access content.)  However, a reasonable sampling of his pieces are available for viewing on Facebook.

Upper: Lorely
Lower: Anthrazit
Both by Tancrede Szekely

Happy Mardi Gras!

Above: "Felice Carnivale" by Portia St Luke

Not a new piece, but this is the first time I've offered it as a poster. (Click here.)

Please enjoy "Felice Carnivale," even if you do not buy the poster, and "Laissez les bons temps rouler!"