Loretta Feeding a Monkey

The first of my two "monkey" paintings is finished:

Loretta Feeding a Monkey

14" x 16", oil on linen, 2017

A major change from the final drawing was the removal of the awning across the top. I envisioned the awning having yellow and white stripes, but after the oranges and the red blouse were painted, the awning no longer seemed a positive contribution to the composition. The yellow would have also diminished the strength and movement of the orange and red notes.

Woman Feeding a Monkey                           (drawing #4, final)

14" x 16", pencil on paper with pastel tone on reverse, 2017

Another change - small but still important - was removing the woman's left fingertips from under her right arm. When making a decision like that, I'll repeatedly cover and uncover the part in question to see if the composition looks better with or without it ... if the part adds no real improvement, it gets taken out. 

Now the second of the "monkey" paintings is on the easel:

Two Women Feeding a Monkey                    (drawing #2, final)

18" x 20", pencil on paper with pastel tone on reverse, 2017