To explain the messy/amorphous first stage below: I had a technical idea here that I wanted to explore (as is often the case, my thematic idea takes the back seat to--or is intertwined with--a technical idea). This painting was preceded by a rough patch (it happens) during which several ideas died on the easel and much artistic despair/gnashing of teeth did occur. As always, it eventually gave way to a new inspiration.
I've been contemplating how a sharply drawn profile can in some ways become my crutch in painting. After all, if the interior of an object was sufficiently described with accurate texture, reflection, value, color, highlight, shadow, etc., wouldn't the object be just as real, even without a crisply defined profile? How far down the road could I take this idea? I love paintings that are mostly mystery, with a minority of detail at the focus/foci. So I decided to start with a "default soft" approach. All profiles cloudy/ghostly at first, with definition/detail only in (or mostly in) the interiors. First stage:
