Above: Forest of Luffness 13. Oil on 30×30″ canvas. Rose Strang 2025
Getting into the flow of this series at last, with three large paintings that make sense together. It was a relief to get back to painting today after a nasty virus. More painting on Monday.
Here are a few more details …
Above: First of June. Forest of Luffness 10. Oil on 12×12″″ canvas. Rose Strang 2025.
Today I updated yesterday’s painting of Richard Demarco, and as usual I’m not at all sure I shoudn’t have left it! Still, it does actually loo more like Richard, and it did need a bit more grounding – so I added legs, hint of the chair etc, but quite sketchy.
In the upcoming documentary, we”ll be interviewing Richard about some of his past work – exploring dialogue between war-torn countries and the healing presence of art.
Back when I worked with Richard as an assistant archivist and curator, Richard was working with Mercy Corp on an exhibition called Beyond Conflict, whch explored the negative impact 9/11 had had on a western view of Muslims.
We’ll be discussing that exhibition in the upcoming doc’ and we’ll be exploring the role of faith in art – does it change what we seek to express, or what we look for in others’ artworks?
Some more views of today’s finished painting.
Above: (Painting in progress) First of June. Forest of Luffness 10. Oil on 12×12″″ canvas. Rose Strang 2025.
I’m working on the hands and the rest of the background tomorrow (the easy part!) you can see pencil outlines.
Clickable images and details below –
Working on a close up portrait of Richard Demarco today for the Luffness series.
This is fairly small again at 12×12″ canvas. I took a still from film footage of our day at Luffness, from which I’m painting this portrait.
There were nine of us there that day last year, including little baby Atlas, but when I carefully look back through all the footage Manuel sent me (Manuel Pennuto is the documentary maker of the Luffness project) the person really paying attention is f course Richard and Terry.
It’s why I asked he and Terry Newman if they’d like to visit the friary ruins at Luffness.
I’d write more about that but it’s 9pm and I’m puggled! There’s nothing more complex than painting the human face – that is, if you truly want to capture expression, hence feeling tired. It’s a good thing I now have a painting lamp so I can paint all hours, but my back isn’t thanking me!
I feel I could create three portraits showing sight, hearing, touch and soul – the idea of (as D.H Lawrence put it) wholly attending.
More tomorrow …
Above: First of June. Forest of Luffness 5. Oil on 12×12″ canvas. Rose Strang 2024
This series in progress is strting to take shape. Looking at the paintings as a little group so far I get the feeling of immersion in that place and time.
Here are the six preliminary oil sketches (on 12×12″) canvas so far (click on images to view in detail) …
I have another two small canvases to work on, then I’ll decide which to develop at a much larger size.
More about the series next week ….
The painting above The Path. Water mixable oil on 14 by 14 inch wood, depicts a meaningful walk (with Richard Demarco and Terry Ann Newman) towards the 12th century Friary ruins at Luffness recently.
More on that in this post – Dappled things
Some painting details …
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Rose Strang Artworks 