Sometimes a Subject

The vast majority of my paintings come from photographs. Some old, some new, some recognizably copied, some just the spark of an idea. None from photographs I've taken because if there's one thing I'm not, it's a photographer. I do however have a friend who is a photographer and we just collaborated on our second shoot! And by "collaborated" I mean I pretend to be a model and try not to laugh and feel self-conscious while he points lights and cameras at me. ;-)

Here's a glimpse of what we did last week. (See more on Daniel Wickwire's website here. Don't forget to look at his other albums while you're there!)  

This one is my favorite of the bunch! It was unintentionally blurry, but we both loved the effect made by being out of focus. The haziness of the figure makes it seem like she's maybe not really there or a captured memory somehow caught on film. I'm using some of the shots as fodder for paintings and there's a good chance you'll see this one on canvas soon.

I put these images together because I thought it was interesting how a miniscule difference in angle made such a huge difference in the finished shot. I love the sort of angry/creepy vibe of the straight-on stare in the one on the left. And really, really love the sense of mystery from the shadowed eyes in the one on the right. 

 And here's what was going on in between shots... The road was surprisingly busy late at night and I kept having to run to the side to avoid becoming one with a moving vehicle, look nonchalant so no one would stop and try to "help" me, then run back to the middle and quickly get back into character until another car came. Dan was up on an overpass out of sight so to passers-by I just looked like a crazy woman out for a stroll in her nightgown with no shoes. It was actually pretty damn funny!











(Low resolution images used to protect copyright. All images copyright of Daniel Wickwire. Used with permission.)

Original fine art by Vancouver, Washington based artist Jamie Lutz Carroll. Buy acrylic paintings, ink and gouache illustrations, limited edition archival prints, and custom and commissioned artwork.

Spectator

"Spectator"

Acrylic on wood panel, 10x12.5

As soon as cameras were invented people began using them to take pictures of nude women which were, of course, deemed pornographic and illegal. The way around that was to call them "tools" for artists so they could work without live models. Thankfully, many of these "tools" have survived the years and, thanks to the magic of the internet, are readily available. Lemme tell ya, those naughty Victorians can make a good girl blush! ;-)

Original fine art by Vancouver, Washington based artist Jamie Lutz Carroll. Buy acrylic paintings, ink and gouache illustrations, limited edition archival prints, and custom and commissioned artwork.

Sweet Spot

"Sweet Spot"

Acrylic on canvas, 12x12

This is the portion of the human body that most distinctly differentiates women from their male counterparts, both on the outside and what goes on inside. It's also the part that women seem to be most insecure about. Too big, too small, too curvy, not curvy enough... Whatever! The sweet spot is so beautiful, so uniquely woman, that it should celebrated!

Original fine art by Vancouver, Washington based artist Jamie Lutz Carroll. Buy acrylic paintings, ink and gouache illustrations, limited edition archival prints, and custom and commissioned artwork.

Night Rider

 "Night Rider"

Acrylic on stretched canvas, 16x20

Several months ago I was invited to submit work to a bike themed show at a local gallery. Though I had never before painted anything involving a bicycle, I decided to challenge myself to do it. The resulting painting (see it here) is very much a portrait of the relationship between the rider and the bike. I had so much fun with the challenge, I decided to do a second one using the same composition but changing everything else. Where the first was subdued, almost like a memory from years gone by, this version is stark and active, as though the bike has gone from an object of leisure to one of safety and necessity. It's so interesting to see how a simple change of color and brushstroke can tell a completely different story!

Original fine art by Vancouver, Washington based artist Jamie Lutz Carroll. Buy acrylic paintings, ink and gouache illustrations, limited edition archival prints, and custom and commissioned artwork.

The Passenger

 "The Passenger"

Acrylic on velveteen matte board, 12x9

I have always loved the style of pastel portraiture that had a relatively brief popularity in the middle of the 20th century. I found a few pieces of scrap matte board with a velvet-like finish and for some reason got the notion that painting on that might result in the sort of soft, slightly abstracted finish of pastels. I used colors popular in that era to add to the mid-century feel. Her expression and body positioning make me think of long travels by train; staring out the window at quickly-passing countryside, thoughts spinning nearly as fast as the train wheels. Another fun experiment that turned out well!

Original fine art by Vancouver, Washington based artist Jamie Lutz Carroll. Buy acrylic paintings, ink and gouache illustrations, limited edition archival prints, and custom and commissioned artwork.