The Dancer II

February 26, 2012 - 16"x20" Acrylic on Canvas (Sold)

I did this painting, the second in a series, as a donation to my daughters Ballet school auction.  The model for the dancer is an 18 year old ballerina from the Royal Ballet in London, named named Yasmine Naghdi.  I was blown away by the amazing skill, but even more by the grace and composure when performing such a difficult leap.  The smile on her face is not made up.

I completed the character a couple weeks ago, during the Second Saturday art walk.  At that time, the gallery owner urged me not to go too simple with the background (the original image is just a curtain and the floor beneath her.)  I tried to follow her advice, creating something more dynamic.  I first laid down a gold, but the contrast with the character was inadequate, so I used copper instead.  I then came upon the idea of a comet tail, with the airborne ballerina as the comet, flying through space, unbelievably powerful, and yet so graceful and beautiful.

The palette:  Her skin is red oxide, yellow ochre, titanium white and touches of raw umber for shaddows; her tights are cadmium red and titanium white (and add a touch of cad yellow for her slippers);  Her leotard is carbon black; and her hair is all of the above.  The comet is iridescent copper and the universe is pthalo blue, red shade and cadmium red.