Lady of the Woods

Lady of the Woods
by Dennis Edward Muzzy

Sunday, July 1, 2012

double breasted weskits

Francis Noel Clarke Mundy. c.1762-3. Oil on canvas. 127 x 101.6 cm

He commissioned Wright to do 6 portraits.

Francis Noel Clarke Mundy was born 15 August 1739 at Osbaston Hall, Osbaston, Leicestershire, which at that time belonged to the Mundys, a family which had been based in Markeaton since John Mundy bought lands in Derbyshire. He received his education at Repton School and at Winchester and then proceeded to New College, Oxford.

In 1762-3, Joseph Wright exhibited a set of six portraits that were commissined by Mundy. Each of the portraits were in the distinctive dress of the Markearton Hunt consisting of yellow breeches and a blue coat over a scarlet waitcoat. These paintings hung at the ancestral home of Markeaton Hall. The subjects of these commissions included old school friends like Harry Peckham K.C. and relatives like his brother-in-law, Francis Burdett.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

My 18th Century Private style portrait of the Lady In The Woods was presented to Mad Annie Bailey at the Frontier post in Powell Valley known to Reenactors as Martin's Station. I introduced it as "The Other Side of Mad Annie Bailey. Her mother should be pleased! It was Mother's Day Week end!

The subject is smiling, which was, and is very hard for a sitter to do constantly while the artist did the pose; and the eyes are on the viewer, considered then as 'confrontational' or 'intimate' there fore would be a private piece!
This Artist created Drawspace! She is one of the greats in my humble opinon. I learned a lot from her!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Sketched background oil portrait

In 1828, Sir Thomas Lawrence did this portrait of William Wilberforce. It is a primary sketch on a prepared background using a graphite piece and then adding oil paint to the face area. Perhaps the balance was left to his students who were also called 'drapery artists' to finish the details. Sir Joshua Reynolds did this by painting just the faces and his many students finished the balance. In this manner Reynolds could do as many as 6 portraits in a 10 AM until 4 PM workday

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Sir Edward Hale

Philippe Mercier [French Painter, ca.1689-1760] who worked in England from 1716. One of his finished pieces is of Sir Edward Hale shown in his hunting outfit!

Here is a prime example of what is noted as a "Field Sketch" by Philippe Mercier  called PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN done in the 3rd quarter 18th century held in the Rennes Museum of Fine Arts





Tuesday, April 24, 2012

My preferred art media is oil, but I have worked with some acrylic, water colours and pen or graphite and paper. Water colours are something I am still working to improve!


The old way was to use a watercolour to tint a page and then to draw using white, red and or black chalk. Graphite and charcoal were also use to illustrate composition. Once the composition was approved, then an oil painting was performed. Many times just a sketch of a part was done for reference.


Of course not all of those great masters had to do this, once they had established themselves, they just painted the portrait!