Can you see a difference?
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)6 Jan 2009 at 8:51 am
From here on, finishing the painting is (I hope) a matter of subtle changes. This one has been a little trickier than most because, unlike in the photograph that provided the inspiration for this painting, I wanted the subject to be lit from the side. In the photo, the light was directly behind me as I took the picture, which didn't allow any dramatic highlighting of the subject's features. As
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Progress
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)3 Jan 2009 at 8:53 am
Here's how my painting looks now.... read more
Today's project
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)2 Jan 2009 at 12:57 pm
Thursday and Friday are the weekend here, so I had today off. Aside from a ride on my mountain bike, here's how I spent the day. There's a lot of work left before this is finished, especially lots of shading on the face and hand.
You may notice that I changed the background from the photograph; I like the desert and a bedouin tent better than the camel souk. ... read more
Tahir's Done
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)1 Jan 2009 at 2:34 am
This one's finally done. I scratched away some of the paint from his eyes to create a reflected highlight, and I reworked some of the shading on his face. I also took the tone of his teeth down a couple of notches. They were just too bright. I have the weekend, which is Thursday and Friday here, to make progress on my next painting, which will be the boy holding a pidgeon. I posted his photog ... read more
Closing for Prayer, Jeddah
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)30 Dec 2008 at 12:10 pm
I still haven't taken another look at my portrait of Tahir. Instead, I did this painting of the souk in Old Jeddah. Tomorrow I'll look with fresh eyes at Tahir and finish him up. Then I'll start on another portrait you've seen in my earlier pages, the boy with the pidgeon.... read more
Bike Ride in Riyadh
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)27 Dec 2008 at 8:36 am
If I'm not working, painting, or video-conferencing with my family, and if I'm not playing with my cats, Pinky and Junebug, then chances are I'm riding my mountain bike on the trail that encircles this compound where we live. Come with me for a ride, and take a look at the trail.
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Tahir al Sudani - Almost Done!
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)26 Dec 2008 at 12:00 pm
My friend from the Camel Souk, Tahir Al Sudani, is almost finished. I've actually made a few changes since I took this photo - mostly on his eyebrows and the shading of his light-side cheek. now I'll put him away for a couple days so I can't see him, and then when I look at him again, hopefully I'll see immediately what changes remain to be made. If I don't do it that way, I find I suffer from
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Old Jeddah
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)26 Dec 2008 at 11:40 am
As promised, here's a short video that gives you a glimpse of the souk (marketplace) at the center of Old Jeddah. In the background you can hear the imams issuing the call to prayer. People are hurrying to close their shops and get to the mosque.
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Tahir Unfinished
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)24 Dec 2008 at 3:38 am
It's Christmas Eve, and I'm hard at work in my studio. I've been looking forward to doing this portrait ever since I photographed Tahir at the camel souk in Riyadh, a month or so ago. I should head to the Embassy for a party tonight, but it all depends on how my painting is going. Is that anti-social of me? ... read more
(no title)
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)22 Dec 2008 at 2:30 pm
Right after I got back from home, I had to take a trip to Jeddah for some meetings. While I was there I got to visit the old part of the city, where I took lots of pictures of marketplaces and old buildings. I'll post more soon, along with some video.
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Old Dira
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)17 Nov 2008 at 1:33 pm
I'm heading home for a couple weeks on Saturday. I'm so excited by the prospect that I haven't been sleeping well. Instead of lying there wishing I were sleeping, I get up and paint. This is one of the results. Dira is a conglomeration of souks in Riyadh, near the clock tower, the courthouse, and the square where they administer beheadings and hand amputations. Surrounding the souks is a net ... read more
Skyline, Old City
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)15 Nov 2008 at 11:06 am
Here's my current project. I've signed it, but I'm not quite sure it's finished yet, so I'll give it a day or two before I put it in a frame. ... read more
Junebug and Bougainvillea
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)15 Nov 2008 at 11:02 am
The weather's been really nice lately. Who'd have thought that in Riyadh, there's a season (however brief) when you can leave your doors open? The cats are particularly appreciative. They sit and watch the patio for hours, and when there are birds overhead, they hunker down below the bottom of the door as if they're stalking them. ... read more
Man and Camel
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)3 Nov 2008 at 1:00 pm
This is a post-card sized study for what I hope will be a larger painting. Below, you might recognize the photograph that provided the inspiration.... read more
Tahir al Sudani
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)31 Oct 2008 at 3:27 pm
This is Tahir, from the Sudan. He was so good-natured and friendly that I spent quite a while talking with him. He was happy to let me take his picture, and I hope to paint his portrait.... read more
A Boy and His Pidgeon
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)31 Oct 2008 at 3:24 pm
This Yemeni boy was fun to talk to. Most people express surprise or even insurmountable disbelief that I can speak Arabic. This guy though, took it completely in stride. Why wouldn't I speak Arabic? That made communicating with him much easier, and much more fun. It was natural and almost effortless, despite my unfamiliarity with his particular dialect. ... read more
Camel Driver
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)31 Oct 2008 at 3:23 pm
A man and his camel... read more
Wadi Hannifa
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)31 Oct 2008 at 3:21 pm
Another view of the wadi adjacent to our compound.... read more
Trail, Diplomatic Compound
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)31 Oct 2008 at 3:20 pm
Here's another view of the trail that surrounds the compound where I live.... read more
Limitless
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)31 Oct 2008 at 3:18 pm
The other day I got the chance to travel a ways out of Riyadh to get in some practice at a shooting range. Every time I get out of town the immensity of the desert surprises me. It's not an easy impression to convey in a little painting.... read more
Daraiyah
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)31 Oct 2008 at 3:14 pm
Daraiyah is an ancient walled city on the outskirts of Riyadh. The substantial ruins there are being pulled down and a sort of replica is being built. This mosque is one of the remaining old buildings.... read more
Unpacking
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)14 Oct 2008 at 3:21 pm
I just received my last shipment of household goods from home. As you can see, the cats really enjoy helping me unpack.
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Carpets and rooftops
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)12 Oct 2008 at 3:59 pm
This one's not quite finished, but I think it's getting there. What do you think? I use only transparent watecolor, and no white, so the white details in the carpets are areas where I avoided putting any paint. It's a little trickier than other media, like oil, or acrylic, where you can just put a little white paint wherever you want it, but watercolor gives me things those other media can't, so
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Thorn Tree
by noreply@blogger.com (Steven Givler)5 Oct 2008 at 9:43 am
The Eid holiday is over, and I'll be back at the office tomorrow. I've enjoyed these last few days of seemingly limitless time for painting. ... read more