Past Perfect -- collage for Thursday

So I started this on the Mel Brooks night, and finished it this morning. It started as a photo of actress Gloria Swanson, but I'm not sure it's even recognizable as her, any more.

I really love overpainting photos. No, seriously. There's something about getting the balance just right -- it's a combination of reduction of the image to its essentials, coupled with trying to keep the layers of paint subtle. I fail at this, a lot (the failures gaze at me reproachfully until I cover them up with other collage stuff), but I'm really happy when it goes well.

I like this one.

Comments

MSN said…
You really did get the balance on this one right. There is something terribly haunting about her eyes. I love it. I must admit, I have tried oeverpainting in some of my mixed media work, but mainly on children's photos. This inspires me to try it on images of adults.
Thanks so much, marysusan! And my fervent thanks for giving her a home ... :)

I mess up the overpainting so many times -- it's really easy to go overboard, and then the effect is absolutely not what I want.

Of course, the most important thing is starting with a great photo - and I find twentieth-century film/opera glamour headshots are just perfect!
stilettoheights said…
I love your over painted pieces, they are breathtaking I am just amazed by it, they are a wonderful mystery to me.

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