Balmain Lady - Chiaroscuro Technique - by Rodney Swansborough

During our exhibition at the Breathing Colours Gallery in Balmain, Sydney, I began this artwork. I set up my easel outside the gallery on the street. This work is part of my nude series, all done on three-ply veneer, using oil pastels (this work is in soluble oil pastels). I have deliberately used a limited palette - black, grey and white.

 The work is laid flat (horizontal) and water is applied directly onto the wood veneer and allowed to "float" on the surface. This enable me to merge the pastels together in the water and to manipulate the tonal range as well as bleach out the oil pastels to expose more of the grain and texture of the wood veneer surface.

This bleaching technique colourises (stains) the timber and adds an exciting and novel element to the artwork. The veneer has a skin-like quality in textures as well as colour. I am expanding more on these attributes the further I explore this technique.

The images immediately below have the background colours now in which provided stronger contrast between the figure and the surrounds. The blue and green colouring is in keeping with the previous female nude in this series.

Lose up of the face of Balmain Lady by Rodney Swansborough
This gives some idea of the style and techniques used in the artwork

Blamain Lady by Rodney Swansborough

Balmain Lady by Rodney Swansborough

Further work has been done on the face..toning more subtly the features

Balmain Lady with her Pompadour hairstyle by
Rodney Swansborough 

Balmain Lady by Rodney Swansborough

A closer view of the unfinished face

Balmain Lady by Rodney Swansborough
White highlights are being added and at this stage are somewhat
over-dramatised and will be washed and bleached into the veneer for
a softer and more subtle affect.

The images below show the artwork after some four hours of working on the street, where many people stopped to view the artist at work.

Balmain Lady by Rodney Swansborough
I am thinking of doing the hair style in the shape of the wood grain
which rises towards the top of the veneer. I chose the placement
of the figure to exploit this synergy.

Balmain Lady by Rodney Swansborough

I am wanting the timber veneer with its colour, texture and grain to be an integral part of the feel and flavour of this work and the other works being done in this series

Balmain Lady by Rodney Swansborough