Two Women with a Monkey

The second of my monkey paintings is finished:

Two Woman with a Monkey

18" x 20", oil on linen, 2017-2018

There are four significant changes between the painting and the final drawing: the monkey's position, the structure of the porch, the right arm of the blonde woman, and the addition of two more oranges.

Two Women with a Monkey (drawing #2, final)
18" x 20", pencil on paper with pastel tone on reverse, 2017

The first orange - the one being offered to the monkey - provided a bright warm note in a composition that I planned to fill with cool greens and blues as well as greys and blacks. However, as the painting progressed, I had the idea to add two more oranges which proved fortuitous, creating a subtle circular movement with more energy and interest.

detail, ca. 13" x 8"

There are two more drawings related to this painting: the initial sketch and a monkey study for the new position on the table.

Two Women with a Monkey (drawing #1)

6 1/2" x 7 3/4", pencil on graph paper, 2017

Two Women with a Monkey (monkey study)

8 1/2" x 12 1/2", pencil on paper with pastel tone on reverse, 2017

This concludes my monkey paintings for now, though I have a couple other drawings with potential, including one with a lot of monkeys. Will see. 

Lots of Monkeys

7" x 8", pencil on graph paper, 2017 

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

Monkey Paintings

Inspired by recent travel experiences, I've developed three compositions around the narrative of monkeys being fed oranges. 

Woman Feeding a Monkey                           (drawing #4, final)

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

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

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

Woman Feeding Lots of Monkeys                 (initial sketch)

7" x 8 1/4", pencil on graph paper, 2017

note: when fully developed, this image will be either 28" x 32" or 35" x 40"

The first of the images, Woman Feeding a Monkey (14" x 16"), is in progress on the easel.

in progress: Woman Feeding a Monkey

14" x 16", oil on linen

Below are three more drawings as I worked out the composition for this first painting. Drawing #3 combined drawing #1's figure and oranges with #2's monkey.

Woman Feeding a Monkey                           (drawing #1)

4 1/8" x 4 1/8", pencil on graph, 2017

Woman Feeding a Monkey                            (drawing #2)

4 3/4" x 5 1/2", pencil on graph, 2017

Woman Feeding a Monkey                            (drawing #3)

7" x 8", pencil on paper, 2017

Coconut Club

Coconut Club

20" x 24"     oil on linen     2013
Private Collection, Florida

The idea for this painting came from a visit to Mizner's Monkey Bar in Boca Raton, Florida, four and a half years ago. Laura and I were in town for the opening of my retrospective at the Museum and the bar was in our hotel. The decor intrigued me and we stopped by for a drink, together with a dear friend of ours, Annie. Here's a photo of the place and of the quick sketch I made that evening:
  

Mizner's Monkey Bar
Boca Raton Resort and Club

Annie at the Monkey Bar

3" x 4 1/2"     17 March 2009     pencil on paper

I liked the composition and pinned the sketch to my drawing wall when I returned to the studio. I'm not sure why it took so long before I actually got around to making the painting, but then it's always been an enigmatic process. Some ideas move along fairly quickly, others percolate a few months or a year, and my most recent large painting, Interior at Night, was on my mind for forty years.

In late July, the sketch finally received my full attention; two weeks and four drawings later, the composition and the size were settled. I didn't make any significant changes to the initial concept, and always had a strong sense that the background would be a harmony of red and orange tones, energized by the one cool note of the dress.

Below is one of the drawings for the painting:

Coconut Club

16" x 20"     5 August 2013     pencil on paper with pastel tone on reverse