Emma's Hair

It's no secret that Emma Petitt has been one of my biggest influences for the past several years as I have evolved a portrait style. She's the one who got me to take up acrylics again after a very brief and somewhat unsuccessful few months way back in my 40s; she then introduced me to the idea of creating a dynamic substrate of bright colors and stenciled patterns that I love so much; she showed me a new way to paint, starting with the lights and adding the darks rather than vice versa; and she had a big hand in causing me to be (a bit) more spontaneous with my painting.

She's also a favorite human being of mine. In addition to making fabulous, colorful, quirky paintings of women and, lately, dogs, she also works constantly and tirelessly to save puppies from certain death in the corner of Spain where she lives. Nobody there in the countryside seems big on spaying and neutering, with the result that unwanted litters arrive on the regular, only to be left abandoned in fields and beside roads, dumped in trash bins and (horrifyingly) thrown over walls by the people who own the dogs but don't want any more. Emma and her friend Rachel have taken on a mission to retrieve, nurse, raise, and place as many of these puppies as their homes and resources can handle, with the help of part-time foster parents they have recruited, and it is a big and never-ending job. I have unending respect for them, and also, it's a good thing I don't live on the same continent, because if I did I'm sure I would have about 12 dogs by now!

I had big fun a couple of years ago painting Emma in her own approximate style (left), although she says I made her look 15 years younger; I have also painted her with Pippin, one of her pups, in acrylic inks, but lately I received new impetus, because she chopped off all her hair into a fun and flattering style that I would adopt myself if I were a little braver. I was all set to make an acrylic portrait when our Facebook friend and portraitist Jane Armstrong beat me to it, so instead I opted for a pen and watercolor portrait from the same reference photo.

This photo had her posed in front of a tiled wall, so I picked out a stencil that reflected sort of the same feel to use as backdrop; but it ended up being way too busy, the blue and gold making her look sallow and also fighting for attention, so I dragged a thin dry coat of white acrylic over the top of the background to knock it back. Her shirt was black, but I thought that with those fabulous green eyes, she needed something to make them pop.

"Emma's New Hair"—stencil, Uniball pen, watercolor, and a little acrylic on 140-lb. Strathmore watercolor paper, 9x12 inches. (Working on the Strathmore today made me remember why I so appreciate Fluid coldpress; the Fluid is infinitely more workable and forgiving of multiple coats, lifts, etc. But I couldn't find my pad of Fluid—I think it's in the car with my workshop kit—so Strathmore it is.)

If you would like to know more about their puppies, go to ER Puppy HQ on Facebook. If you would like to make a donation to buy formula, food, and the many veterinary services that most of these poor babies end up needing, there is a Go-Fund-Me here.