Back in the Studio: Return of the Hood

After a long break from this painting, which I started at the end of last semester in school I decided to get back to it. I had it sitting in my living room all summer and I kept looking at it every day as I worked on a lot of other paintings, but yesterday it gripped me up, and I plopped it down on the easel and went at it, working all over the whole piece. I'm working from photos I took myself and the house where i shot them has been torn down since I took these pictures earlier in the year. its a shame as I wanted to go back several more times, but its just a pile of rubble now....

This painting is part of what I have loosely called my "Bride" series,  even though the figure here isn't wearing a dress, but she is still hooded. I've had a very strong reaction to this series of paintings. From my female friends it has been very positive, from the critics at school it was a mixed bag. But I want to continue on and see where these paintings take me and I take them.

This painting is a decent size,  30 x 40 and so I have to keep moving back to try and see the whole thing as I work at it. I'm trying to feel out the amount of detail I want in the final piece while keeping it loose and spontaneous in spots. I might actually roll over parts and repaint them in the next session to even merge areas more and subvert some details.