"Amelia's Starry Night"

              

              "Amelia's Starry Night", 3" x 2 1/2", (frame size 6 1/2" x 4"), 
             egg tempera miniature portrait on Kelmscott vellum

                                     

                                              "Amelia's Starry Night" (shown slightly larger for detail)

And here is little Amelia in April with her first ponytail!    Is this little girl cute or what?!

Here is my miniature portrait of Amelia, who is the daughter of Erika and Brian Boccia.  Amelia's mom, Erika, is my sister-in-law's niece.   P.S. :  I neglected to mention this earlier in my post, but  I used a special powder pigment made from the gemstone lapis lazuli along with the other blues in the sky of this painting.

My Entry for the 5th World Federation Exhibit in Moscow

"After the Davidson College Graduation", 4 9/16" x 3", egg tempera on panel, (reframed to meet frame size parameters)

Here is the entry I submitted for the 5th World Federation of Miniaturists Exhibition which is slated to take place in the Gallery of the Russian Academy of Art in Moscow, Russia in September of this year. To enter this painting required me to reframe it in order to meet the stringent frame size limit.

It actually wound up to be my most difficult framing job ever, which entailed wiring the frame vertically from the inside! The hand-painted matt is a softer color of coral than the digital picture conveys, and the silver-gilded frame has a warm feeling with threads of gold in it.

My next portrait in miniature: my stepfather, Harry

a photo of my stepfather, Harry Killian

Some of you who follow my art will recall that after my father passed away, my Mom met and married my stepfather Harry Killian. They have both very recently turned 85 years old, and will happily celebrate their second wedding anniversary this April! My next miniature will be a portrait of Harry, and I'll post a progress report on this soon.

"Self Portrait at 34"

"Self Portrait at 34" (shown actual size @ 3 3/4" x 3"), egg tempera on Kelmscott vellum

If you'd like to see the reference photo I took when I was 34, and worked from to create this traditional portrait miniature, I've posted it too over on Mona Conner Portraits.

After trying to paint my rhinestone necklace at miniature scale, I esteem even more the great work of Nicholas Hilliard (1547 ~1619) whose specialty in miniature portraits was elaborate jewelry and lace details. If you Google his name as an image search and scroll, you'll find many of his amazing portraits in miniature.

Self Portrait at 34, in progress

"Self Portrait at 34" in progress, shown at actual size

Here is a peek at a self portrait which I'm painting from photos I took myself with the self-timer setting of my camera at age 34. I'm wearing one of my all-time favorite wardrobe items, a black velvet cocktail dress, which makes it all the more fun to paint, and the tricky part will be to see if I can articulate in a pleasing way the details of the rhinestone necklace I was wearing. Haven't decided yet how I'll frame it, but an oval might be nice....we'll see.

Surprise Commission After More Progress --(Shhh!!!)

6 1/2" x 3 3/4", completed graphite miniature portrait on Avon Smoothcard

I'll reveal who is in this miniature portrait later on, but it's a surprise, so Shhh!

Surprise Commission --(Shhh!!!)

6 1/2" x 3 3/4", miniature portrait (in progress), graphite on Avon Smoothcard

Here is my start on a dual miniature pencil portrait, but it's a secret about who it is, and who it is for, so Shhh!

"The Piano Recital---It's Mary's Turn" completed

"The Piano Recital---It's Mary's Turn," framed


"The Piano Recital---It's Mary's Turn," art and image © Mona Diane Conner 2009
5 1/2" x 4 1/4" egg tempera miniature on gessoed panel, (Sold)

The five entries I have submitted to the Miniature Art Society of Florida 35th annual miniature show at Leepa Rattner Museum of Art in Tarpon Springs (January 17 - February 7) include "The Piano Recital---It's Mary's Turn," shown above in it's final form. This portrait of Mary has sold, pre-show, to her parents, but they are allowing it to go into show competition this year, prior to receiving it, and I am grateful for their support.

More on the rest of my entries for the Florida show later this week.

(Interim post to see it larger)

(This is just an interim post of the same stage of the painting as below so you can click on this one to see it larger, since the click-on in the post below was not working.)

A Few Points About Competitive Miniature Painting

Post Script: Here is the portrait of Mary almost completed. While it's Mary herself who inspires its details, and I hope I am doing justice to the person who inspired it, a question recurs from time to time about how 'it looks finished already' when its still in progress, and I know it's sincere, so just once I want to take a moment to go over a few specific points from my own perspective about competitive miniature painting.

It's throughout the year that I am developing my miniatures for competition purposes, so if at times it seems I get into minute details, it's often a conscious effort on my part if I feel I may be preparing a painting for competition---something which usually takes longer than non-competitive miniature making. Added into the mix, my medium of egg tempera is also more time-consuming than other mediums because it consists of many superimposed thin layers of paint, but I hope it feels worth the extra time to others because of its effects, and because it is my preferred medium for painting. At times I can unconsciously get into a higher level of detail even when I am doing a simpler miniature study, and some of you have purchased good bargains from my blog in this way.

Because my particular style lends itself toward detail, to the extent it feels important, I go as far as I can go with detail to be on target for a competitive entry. But at miniature competitions I have seen that other styles are also respected, and what I have witnessed over the past six years as a participant in competition is that for those with a different style, such as a pastel artist or an impressionistic painter, it is simply a matter of preserving that specific style and scaling it down more finely for its miniature size and scale. Making miniatures is about an effort to fit into a small area and scale the same level of painting that we can paint larger.

When it comes to minute detail at miniature scale, ultimately it becomes important to see a miniature painting in person in order to truly appreciate it. I can come close, but I can't duplicate it entirely online either if it's this tiny, so I hope if you have never seen a miniature show in person, you may have an opportunity in the future to do so.

Next post I'll show you the final version of the portrait of Mary.

"The Piano Recital, Mary's Turn," (in progress), 5 1/2" x 4 1/4", egg tempera miniature on gessoed panel

Here's another update on my progress, and with her dress now finished, I'll do one last post of the completed painting in a few more days. I want to work on her hands and hair a little more and refine certain details and values in the painting.

More progress on "The Piano Recital, Mary's Turn"

"The Piano Recital, Mary's Turn," (in progress) 5 1/2" x 4 1/4", egg tempera on gessoed panel

Here is another update on my progress on the portrait of Mary. I've started working on the piano keys, and next, will zero in more on the beautiful dress she is wearing, which has a delicate pink floral pattern.

progress on "The Piano Recital, It's Mary's Turn"

"The Piano Recital, Mary's Turn" (in progress), (click on the image to see it at it's actual size) 5 1/2" x 4 1/4", egg tempera on gessoed panel

I'm busily preparing for two miniature shows, so it's just occasional updates for right now. Here's an update on my progress with the portrait of Mary at the piano recital. I've really been enjoying working on this one!

Happy Mother's Day!

"Amira", 2 inches x 2 inches, pencil on polymin

(note:  polymin and ivorine are both synthetic substitutes for ivory, a popular surface used most often by miniaturists in the past)

(enlargement for detail)

This miniature pencil portrait of Amira is done for my friends Danielle and Max for how they once allowed an upright piano to pass through their window!  To see more of my large portraits in progress, such as the one below, click here.  Happy Mother's Day to Danielle, to my Mom, and to all mothers out there.

"The 'Mary' in Terry" 25 1/2" x 19 1/2", pastel portrait (in progress)

"Spirit of Aretha"

"Spirit of Aretha," 4" x 4", egg tempera on Kelmscott vellum (available from my website)  (c) Mona Diane Conner 2009

The preceding step (#5) for the "Spirit of Aretha"

Just one more post of Aretha Franklin, since her portrait is finally completed!  Sometimes it takes me a while to return to a painting since I generally have 4 or 5 paintings and commissions in various stages of completion at one time.  Since it's been a while, I thought it would be interesting to add this re-post of the preceding step. 

Aretha, Step 5

(portrait in progress, 4" x 4")

For this session I've been refining some details of Aretha's face and her clothing, and solidifying some of the background figures behind her.  More on Aretha tomorrow, and also on the gilding of my panel for the mother/daughter portrait.

Aretha, Step 2

A little more progress on Aretha, starting here to establish a background and suggest people sitting behind her.  I'm working on the form and shadows of the hat, and will be adding detail to it.  I had hoped to get further, but it's late, so I'll do another post on this tomorrow and I'll add the brush information then too. 

Step 1: "I Say A Little Prayer"

(approximately 4 1/8" x 4 1/8" - egg tempera on vellum, in progress)

While you are following my progress on this miniature portrait of Aretha Franklin, wax nostalgic with me by clicking below on her performance of "I Say a Little Prayer."  I was in high school when she made this appearance in 1970 on "The Cliff Richard Show." Many thanks to "thecatkeaton" for permission to share this very special YouTube video with you!

Erlise is a Winner

"Erlise's Laugh"  3" x 3 13/16", egg tempera on panel, NFS

I was truly delighted to find out tonight that "Erlise's Laugh" won Second Prize in the category of 'Human Figure' in the Miniature Art Society of Florida 2009 Annual Show

It's my first win for this category.

"Erlise's Laugh"

3" x 3  13/16", egg tempera on panel

NFS

Household member, Erlise, is much beloved by my sister's family.  I did this miniature as a tribute to Erlise for all that she has done for my sister and her family over the years.  Thank you Erlise! 

Erlise has the most delightful, musical laugh I have ever heard---hence the title, "Erlise's Laugh."  This portrait has been sent to the MASF competition, and will eventually go to my sister's family to either keep or give to Erlise.

How a miniature looks, mid-process

3" x 3  13/16", egg tempera on panel (in progress)

Here is a mini in egg tempera on panel that I am working on, to show you how it looks at a mid-stage of the painting process.  By this time I have put down several layers of paint. Some areas are more worked up than others, but overall I am still blocking in color and values.  Egg tempera paint is uniquely translucent, so in working with it I create color and value by building thin layers of paint on top of each other, alternately glazing and scumbling areas as I go.  I will post the final version of this painting later.  Along the way I'll describe more about how I work with egg tempera, but in the meantime a great resource of information about this wonderful painting medium is to be found here:  Society of Tempera Painters

For the next three weeks, I'll be posting my progress on preparing miniatures for three gallery shows.  First is the Miniature Art Society of Florida annual show, but since I am preparing simultaneously for three shows, expect announcements as I go over which painting will be directed toward a specific show.  Every other day or so I will be sharing with you how I prepare, from selecting subject matter and painting surfaces, to deciding, the case of MASF, what passes muster for competition.  If it sounds intensive preparing for three shows, it is!  But I love doing it, feel grateful for the opportunities I am being given, and I hope it brings some inspiration, just by sharing it with you.