Magic Blue Nude Painting

This painted to be close to the original charcoal drawing of a nude model, in a resting pose. I like to paint from and about the discoveries made in the drawing, rather than directly from the model. This oil painting started as a black gesso ground, which is still visible in the final painting, adding to the apparent immediacy and gestural nature of the drawing. Although there was no blue paint on the palette, the blue hue of the background, mixed from magenta and viridian, is evident and provides an unexpected quality to the painting.