The Costumière

With the low light of the past few wintry weeks, I have not begun any large new works. Instead have redecorated my study with two tableau paintings created in company of fellow artists from Auckland East Arts.

We had held tableau workshops (where we studied a group of motionless figures). This gave us the chance to appreciate how clothing/costumes from another time behaved when being worn by live models.

Above: Yesteryear (acrylic on stretched canvas)

Above: Roman Art Tableau (acrylic on stretched canvas)

While there were models in front of us, I wove contemporary road making machines at the top of the “Roman Art Tableau”. I could not help wondering what the Romans would have made of our modern-day roads!

A third painting from these workshops “A Taste of Country” (below) illustrating Rococo fashion, I also rehung at home recently.

Above: Rococo Tableau (acrylic on stretched canvas)

The “Eastern tableau” workshop was our first and very successful one. We were fortunate to have a talented costumiere in our midst who delighted in showing her creations which were in turn staged by an experienced costume designer.

Other tableaux followed within in the day which forced us to develop rapid sketching techniques. I always preferred to use pastels, charcoal or even simply to draw with a loaded brush in ink or acrylic. Sometimes, maybe years later, larger works on canvas resulted.