Neon Girl with a Pearl Earring Painting by Borbay ala Vermeer

Up next in my Re-Mastered series — ‘Neon Girl with a Pearl Earring’, modeled after Vermeer’s 1665 masterpiece. Following Neon Guernica, I was considering ‘Starry Night’ — but our November trip to Europe inspired a new direction.

The original work, which hangs in the Mauritshuis Museum, measures a modest 15″X17.5″. As with the ‘Mona Lisa‘ — many are surprised to discover the diminutive scale of these monumental works. When approaching Girl with a Pearl as a neon, I decided to lean into the chiaroscuro and only light the highlights — which marks something of a departure.

Paintings, like careers, originate from humble beginnings. When asked about my process, I say, “I deconstruct, and reconstruct.” This early phase is a perfect example. One thing you might notice when comparing my piece to the original — I cropped quite a bit of negative space to the viewers left.

Whenever I get the blues, I paint them. Kidding. Over the years, I’ve allowed myself the indulgence of blocking out sections with moderate detail. It establishes the vibe, and inspires the brush to keep moving.

<br >After laying out her interwoven turbans I took a rather unusual detour and painted the shadows on her clothing Following a series of black and white works I enjoyed multi chromatic mixology That would be a sweet band name
<br >And now she has been fully established in the first pass Her eyes are so beguiling it took me several attempts to mirror the gaze As you can surmise I wasnt overly concerned with fidelity Rather it was about getting the general look and feel
<br >Alas the moment Im always pining for adding the first neon elements Of late Ive focused on working in a top to bottom fashion This allows me to avoid mistakes and keeps my handprints away from the surface Despite wearing a painting glove any friction with the canvas is a long term liability Youll notice Neon Mona and a photo of Vermeers masterwork with a series of color samples on the wall Ive found the latter extremely helpful in identifying tonality Perceived vs actual tones are often flabbergasting
<br >In retrospect I am not a fan of my second pass at the face However this step was important in exploring tonality and form Time spent looking and thinking are paramount When artists inquire about full time vs half time I say this the hours spent staring at the ceiling and thinking are just as if not more important than the time you have brush in hand
<br >The mental battle proves worth it when you discover the way Here I finally found the softness her face was yearning for All that remained was for me to pop the lips earring and outfit Side note Im not much for spontaneous experimentation but I did take a leap with the background I acquired Black 40 from Stuart Semples <a href=httpswwwculturehustleusacomproductsblack 4 0 title=>Culturehustle<a> and Ill confess the depth of the background is exciting The finish feels satin and she really pops in a different way Ill be exploring this marvel further in the future

And with the final details in place — my first canvas of 2024 has been completed. As with the other works in this series… it’s easy to see why these gems have been elevated in the pantheon of human creation. There is a timelessness about each of them, and I’m delighted for this new, educational time in my career. And now… to decide on the next work in the series…

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