These are the decisions I made before I started this painting. 1) Create the background with a high contrast of dark and bright. 2) Create the flowers in mass groupings in a variety of whites. 3) Add contrast in texture by showing some of the pedals and an edginess to the stems. 4) Try to make the bee realistic without getting fussy.
This may not be the most brilliant painting I have done, but I did accomplish my original goals. Then, after I posted it, I realized from looking at the post that I didn't like the high contrast background so I mushed it out. I added a few dots of color in the pedals and rephotographed it.
I have been traveling for a couple of weeks. Now I am home and back to painting, so I warmed up with these little poppies. It is hard to jump back in with confidence, but that is what is necessary. I made a fun discovery when I got back. I had not scraped my palette before I left and was getting ready to do that. I cover my paints with little cups called "Paint Savers." A while ago I had glued pieces of felt to the inside of them and applied a drop of clove oil to keep the paints soft between sessions. When I took off the covers after about 2 1/2 weeks of them sitting, the paint was still fresh...not even glooey. It is important not to mix clove oil with the paint, or even get it on the paint brush, because it will not allow the paint to dry on the canvas or panels, but the fumes will keep the paint soft for at least 2 1/2 weeks...so that is cool! I don't expect to have any issues with the painting drying, but time will tell. Also it is important not to use silicone or a
glue gun to adhere them because the clove oil will basically melt the glue, but I used Elmer's wood glue and that worked fine.
Peppers are fun to paint. They have such vibrant colors and interesting shapes. When posting images with red varieties of colors, the photography tends to blend them into one color. The difference in reality between the orange pepper and the red pepper is significant. You will have to use your imagination with this one. I like the exercise of doing still life paintings and I like taking a break on occasion from painting people. Even though they are both made up of shapes, lines and values with lovely colors, the pressure of getting people "right" can be daunting. I mean, if I make the pepper a bit lopsided or fat, who would notice?
Monday, April 4, 2016
8"x10" oil
This is painted from a photo taken by my friend at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, VT, on Lake Champlain, looking at the Adirondack mountains in NY. It is a must visit place if you are ever in the Green Mountain State. The bottom photo shows my first stage and the photo reference on the left. I had fun painting this and it brought back lovely memories.
Carol Browne another artist, posted a photo of her dog with the request that others interpret it in their style. I thought he was so cute, so I jumped on the band wagon and whipped this out. The second image is the first layer of paint I put down, just to give you an idea of how I start a painting
