I have a small but growing collection of statuary and plaster casts that I use for myself and for my drawing students. Today while one of my students tried to capture this statue in charcoal, I used the opportunity to knock out a quick oil sketch. It actually proved to be a challenge - no so much in the rendering of the saint, but in how to achieve some life in the painting. I didn't want a monochromatic piece but then, the statue is white. So I opted for a livelier background. The cross in the upper left hand corner emerged of its own accord with brush strokes, but I opted to enhance it a bit and worked it in as part of the composition. I spent some extra time with this exercise because I'm trying to get a deeper understanding of how color can work for me. I changed the background several times before settling on this warm one.
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