photo concepts--they constituted my universe

I spent more time photographing yesterday. I took some thumbnails I've been working out and then set up the still life. I think I've figured out how I want to attempt the painting of Ellen, Hortense and Helene. I already know the title of the piece. It's going to be, "They Constituted My Universe."

 

sketches

from left to right: Ellen, Hortense, Helene

I gathered things that I thought could represent these women or stories I've heard of them. I think the chair on the left looks like Ellen. Hortense was a church historian, so her chair has books like Jesus the Christ, Articles of Faith, the Book of Mormon . . . anything I could find that was old-looking and church related. Helene was a musician and my mom actually has her sheet music (the green books under her chair). I think they are the most beautiful music anthologies I've ever seen. You can't see it here, but they are tied closed with a green ribbon. I choose oranges to signify their settling in California as well as thoughts relating to "by their fruits ye shall know them" or "fruit of their loins" things like that.

 

I included a lantern (that actually came from my great-grandparents farm in Oregon on my other side) in some of the photos. I imagined Eliza R. Snow leading Ellen to the endowment house by the light of a lantern the night she got married.

source photos

I spent a few hours last week shooting hundreds of photos. I learned a lot when I started to paint from them. While I like the look of the blurred edges and ambiguities, I think it will be better to set up the chairs almost portrait-like (with controlled lighting , bringing in other objects etc) and interpret the lines and shapes with my eye rather than making the lens do that. I do like many of the compositions however.

I started a few studies from them. We'll see how it goes.