Daily Pick

There is nothing better than home grown tomatoes. They are good enough to paint! I began with an acrylic paint wash of raw sienna. I used the acrylic to tone the canvas because it dries faster and gives the canvas a smoother surface. I thought the composition would have been worked out with the underpainting/toning stage, but due to the complexity of the ceramic dish I also did a pencil sketch and made measurements to make sure the image was centered and in correct proportions.

In my last painting I spoke of my struggle to "loosen" up my style. I had several tips from fellow artists and one experiment was suggested by artist Rick Nilson from N.C. His suggestion was to place a board a couple of feet away from my easel ( or arm's length) and stand behind it to paint. The object of course is to keep my nose out of the painting! A few times I ended up standing on the board, but as I got used to it, began to catch and correct myself. I did paint most of the painting this way, not until the end when a few details were necessary did I remove the board.

Click on image to enlarge.

8"x 6" oil on RayMar canvas panel.

You can see that I did not "loosen" up significantly this time, but I think if I continue this exercise it will help. I know I had to work harder to paint the way I usually paint, so after a while I'll just give up and quit trying for so much detail. I still like this painting very much and hope you enjoy viewing it. And thanks Rick for you insightful help and suggestion.

Cosmos in the Window

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6"x 8" oil on RayMar canvas panel.

This is the final painting, but a poor photo. The background outside the window doesn't have the pink tone seen here.

I'm not sure why I painted this still life in such a realistic and "tight" style. I like the painting, but no longer see this style as a way that I particularly want to continue painting. Maybe it's like re-reading a good book. Just something to revisit from time to time. I'm still wanting to "loosen up" and have made some progress but I think my desire to sell on ebay may have influenced me on this one. I see realism style paintings very popular on ebay, the only problem is that this way of painting will not bring me more than about $5 an hour! Really, though, the important thing is not about money, but to try and stay focused on the original desires and goals I have set before me as an artist. I'll get back on course next painting.

Cosmos in Kitchen Window- Work in Progress

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8"x 6" Oil on RayMar canvas panel.

This painting is a work in progress. A little tweaking is needed in the outside bushes to make them recede into the background. By lightening or graying them and keeping the contrast of colors narrow I think they will fall into the correct plane of vision.

I worked quite a few hours on this more realistic painting to try and capture the coolness of the window sill and the translucent quality of the cosmos blossoms. While painting this subject it occurred to me that I've been drawn to still life set ups with backlighting. The last few pieces have been lit this way and I find it a challenge to capture the dramatic lighting. Although I'll probably work a bit more on this piece, I wanted to post it now because I won't be in my studio tomorrow.

To add a note about the RayMar panel I used, it is new to me and I'm not sure if it will be my final choice for a substrate. I like the light board, and love the white laminated back, but disappointed in the canvas texture. I ordered their smoothest textured cotton canvas for portrait work. The weave is larger than the other canvas ( Fredrix medium textured primed cotton in a pad) I've been using and more absorbent. The panel has been primed three times, but doesn't feel like it. I can always add another coat of gesso or tone the canvas with acrylic to make it less absorbent, but the texture in the canvas itself may still be a problem. I think it is fine for landscapes, but maybe not the very small size still life's I'm doing now. I really must fine a suitable canvas board to work on. The time I'm spending on mounting my own on masonite is ridiculous for my schedule. I'm wanting to find a board that is wood or hardboard if anyone has any suggestions. The RayMar panel is the only one I've tried to date.

Peach in Hand Painted Bowl

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6"x 6" Oil on canvas mounted on hardboard.

One more painting before the peach is eaten. The muted and faded hues remind me of France or Italy. The colors were not planned and are a bit different than they were in life. When the painting was not working , I wiped the back ground a couple of times and tried different colors before it felt right to me. This photo is close in matching the painting but the green inside the bowl (especially on the right) is too yellow in the photo reproduction.

Two Georgia Peaches - SOLD

Peaches everywhere and so good. Didn't think much about what to paint or how to paint this time. Just your basic 5x7 still life.

This is the stage where the composition is set and I begin establishing the darks and lights. I paint in color shapes to establish these light and shadow relationships. Often I like many elements of this stage of the painting more than the finished piece.

Click on image to enlarge.

5"x 7" Oil on canvas mounted on hardboard.

I was hoping to capture that peach texture and the look of the soft skin on firm fruit. I'm happy with this attempt and more peaches to come.

Coneflowers #2

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6"x 8" Oil on canvas mounted on hardboard.

I like the composition on this painting and I loved doing the first coneflower piece,
but for some reason this was a very difficult painting for me. I worked on it one day for several hours and it should have been close to finish. But when I began today to

complete it, nothing seemed to be working. I felt like I was just learning how to paint from the start of this painting. Anxiety and just being frustrated during the painting tempted me to toss it and start a new project. I'm still not confident that I haven't wasted my time, but I feel good to have fought to the end and pulled something out of it. I think I'll leave coneflowers behind for now and maybe paint ??????

Coneflowers

Click on image to enlarge.

6"x 8" Oil on canvas mounted on hand wrapped hardboard.

$80

It's been 11 days since I last posted a painting and it's about time! I was really inspired by these coneflowers ( Echinacea) and I actually "stole" them from a yard just for the purpose of painting them. I have another painting or two planned for them, they are so fun to paint! I would call this a contemporary still life. The bright colors and stylized chiseling of shapes makes it look modern to me. I'm all over the place in experimenting and wonder if I'm hurting myself by not sticking to one style or subject. Sorry, just comes natural to me to do this. My illustration career was constant change and experimenting. I was never "known" for one style and was constantly asked to do this or that style and I'd try my hand at it. Now I feel that I need to settle in and find what I really want to put my time into and excel. But I'm still searching for that one thing! Maybe I'll have "periods" in my fine art career, like Picasso's blue period. But I do like to mix it up and other artist's are able to do that, at least with subject matter. Currently I need to decide if I want to continue developing a loose style or go back to my natural inclination to paint very realistically. It seems that I'm inspired by both and could go either way. How do I decide? Just paint, I keep telling myself.