86th Grand National Exhibition at the Salmagundi Club in New York City

My oil painting A New Ophelia has just been accepted into The American Artists Professional League 86th Grand National Exhibition 2014 at the Salmagundi Club in New York City.

The exhibition will be held at the Salmagundi Club, 47 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003 from November 10 through November 21 and will be open to the public 1-6 pm Monday to Friday and 1-5 pm Saturday and Sunday.

A New Ophelia is a new take on the story of Shakespeare's Ophelia.  Ophelia, struggling across the sharp stones of the path of her life collapses before her final hurdle, a large wall of rocks separating her from peace.  Red poppies trail in the water behind her, a request to the viewer not to forget her.  

A New Ophelia, Jaime Cooper, 2014, oil on linen, 21 x 18 inches, copyright Jaime Cooper

Common Ground on the Hill

I will be teaching a week long oil painting portrait workshop at the Common Ground on the Hill festival at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD from June 30 to July 4.

Click here for info on Common Ground.

Click here for info on my class.

Land of 1755 by Jaime Cooper

Underpainting

Here is an underpainting for an oil portrait of a sculptor that I am currently working on.  My reference is a black and white photo ca. 1900.  I always do an underpainting as the first step to any oil painting.

Underpainting for Sculptor by Jaime Cooper

It greatly helps me to:
1.  draw the image (I don't do any drawing in pencil first)
2.  decide on major structural and compositional questions
3.  map out the value structure, especially placement of core shadows

I usually do them in either raw or burnt umber thinned to an ink consistency with turpenoid (and a little stand oil).  Sometimes with a landscape or still life I will use burnt sienna.  Every once in awhile I will go crazy and try something like purple or green.  This can be an interesting take on flesh tones for a portrait.  I use a brush, rag, or Q-tip to wipe out highlights.  After the underpainting is finished I will start painting the color layers over it.

Robert Liberace Paints

One of my absolute favorite contemporary painters, Robert Liberace, did an alla prima demo of a Civil War soldier at the Art League in Alexandria, VA.  This video is right up my alley as I started learning to draw and paint with historical subjects.

Red Chalk Figure Drawing by Jaime Cooper

I used the method I learned from Robert Liberace to do this drawing.  I used white Mi-Tientes paper with a sepia watercolor wash, then a coat of amber shellac thinned with rubbing alcohol.  My only tools were a terra cotta Verithin colored pencil and an eraser pencil.

Ligonier Art Walk Live Oil Portrait Demo

Here is a photo of my live oil portrait demo during the Ligonier Art Walk. A huge thank you to my beautiful model and the audience. It was a blast! I will post some in progress pictures of the portrait later on.

Live Oil Portrait Painting Demonstration

Jaime will demonstrate an oil portrait painting from a live model in her studio starting at 4 pm on Saturday May 10, 2014 during the Ligonier Art Walk. Come by to watch, ask questions, and discuss art techniques. Everyone is welcome! The studio is located at 212 West Main Street, Ligonier, PA 15658.