Crabapples and Fruit - REVISED 11-02-08

"Granny Smith and Crabapples"

6"x 8" Oil on canvas panel.

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I thought I was finished with this painting when posting it a couple of days ago. I was pleased with the loose brush strokes, but as I looked at it some more I realized that it failed to communicate the thing that first inspired me about the setting. The light from above had illuminated the fruit in a dramatic way and made the bright colors really pop. There was a certain moodiness to the narrow stream of light entering a dark space and "spot lighting" the plate of fruit. The first post of the painting failed to communicate that mood and more contrast was needed. I also felt the need to add thicker paint to give the painting more "body". I lost some of the looseness that I liked, but I feel that it now is closer to my first impressions. I've been reading some old art magazines this weekend and it has turned my focus back to discovering my "voice" in my work and returning to finding out who I am as artist. Over the last two months I've been led off my original path toward focus on technique and ebay sales. This can be the death of an artist. So back to the "real" work of self-discovery.

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6"x 8" Oil on canvas panel by RayMar.

This was a success for me in that I actually painted a decent painting on a RayMar panel. I thought I'd throw these panels out because in the past I've really hated them!
I needed a 6x8 and this is what I had, so I took a chance and just focused on staying loose and used the largest brushes possible. I think with these last two pieces, I've been able to loosen up with my brush work and achieve a more abstract approach to painting shapes. The end result is not abstract, but I was "thinking" shapes as I painted rather that objects.

I made my husband Kenn pull the car to the side of the road in order for me to pick these crabapples. The tree was loaded and the little fruits where such a strikingly beautiful red that I just had to gather some to bring home to paint. Kenn was a good sport - he's so patient about my sudden "PULL OVER!" demands.

"My Better Half" - SOLD

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5"x 7" Oil on Ampersand gessoboard.

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It's Halloween week and I....see....fruit....people. ( you know ,"I see dead people" from the movie) I gave myself two thumbs up on this one. It came easy and I somehow achieved exactly what I desired. Why doesn't that happen every time?

Wanna Dance?

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5"x 7" Oil on Ampersand Gessoboard.

I so loved painting this. It was mostly painted yesterday and a few detail or changes made today. When you paint a lot of produce the pieces of fruit or vegetables can begin taking on personalities. This little demur pear almost seems to speak in answer to the apple who has his feet firmly planted on the ground before her. Such drama!

There is no way to photograph a vivid red. The red in the original is much deeper and a bit cooler. At least the overall color seems correct.

zzzzzzzzz

I'm not really asleep, but it feels like my muse is. I've not been inspired by anything to paint, and what I've attempted to paint ( for two days now) has been put aside because it looks like a painting one might see in a beginners painting class. Ugh! I was working on one of my new linen panels and it seems to be a coarser weave than the first ones I purchased. My colors are muddy and the painting really looks like someone else painted it! I know this will pass, but it's not a comfortable place to be. I'll start on something new tomorrow and go back to my beloved 5x7 Ampersand Gessoboards. That board still seems to be magic to me! I'm starting to get inspired, just thinking about getting away from this linen texture. Silly me.

Halved Peach on English Ironstone -SOLD

SOLD

It's another day ( the 18th) and a new post of this piece. I wasn't happy with the background color, it was too much like a baby's dirty diaper brown. So I painted over the top with a pale green ( this looks like gray - but alas it is green) which works much better. Now the wall behind the table relates to the bottom reflection on the glass top table. Sometimes it helps to sleep on it and take a fresh look the next day.

Second photo, different camera. I think the correct color is between the two. The above photo is too brown and the below photo is too green.

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8"x 6" Oil on linen panel.

I'm back to a more traditional still life this time. I once again enjoyed working on the linen, but really like switching back and forth. These days I just choose the surface best for the subject or just mix it up for fun.

Granny's Round Table - SOLD

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6"x 6" Oil on Ampersand Gessoboard.

This is a more contemporary still life and I love being able to use brighter colors. This transparent red plate is a find from a thrift store that I painted several months ago, but this painting is much more successful. If you've visited before, you know that I love to paint reflections and this red plate produces such great challenges. It always surprises me that the as the light shines through the tomato red glass that the shadow is magenta. The smaller gold plate is solid yellow gold in color, but has a smooth embossed cross-hatched design around the rim. All these elements made up an image I found both challenging and inspiring. Thanks for visiting.

Limes- Let's make some green!

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5"x 7" oil on Ampersand gessoboard.

I've been in the red too much lately, painting all those cherries, apples and red pears. Time to make some green!

Red Pear on Linen - SOLD

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6"x 8" on linen canvas board.

I felt like a true artist today while painting on my first linen canvas. It's an odd thing that I've never tried it before. I've not liked painting on regular cotton canvas nor on RayMar canvas panels which are a cotton and synthetic blend. The weave has always felt like a nuisance to me rather than a texture to aid in painting. But now I know what a cloth surface is supposed to feel like when painting! The linen texture is so beautiful that the paint almost seems secondary, as something to bring out the character of the linen. I also found that painting on linen is faster than on a harder surface, which doesn't surprise me and was expected, but I was surprised that I liked it as much as I did.

The linen panel that I used was a prepared panel by Art Alternatives purchased at Binder's Art Supply. The linen is a medium texture and I'm sure just an average quality linen, wrapped on a 1/8" mdf panel - all archival. The panel is triple coated with a clear acrylic gesso and suggests adding additional ground for oil paint. I added two coats of white gesso before painting. I was really glad to find these panels to try my hand at painting on linen. I had thought about purchasing some linen ( by the yard) and mounting my own on board, but this is so much more convenient. These panels do come in many sizes but I'm not prepared to list those.

Lately I've seen many red pears painted and thought they were just lovely. When seeing them in my Kroger Grocery this last week, I couldn't resist and home they came. The deep red is just wonderful, and I really tried to capture the many shades of red and wanted to enhance that color with the white and gray surrounding it.

The photo is just OK - taken at night in my studio- and I may try again tomorrow. Maybe outside light will show the linen texture better, but then again, I usually try to show as little canvas texture as possible in my blog or ebay photos, so that doesn't make a bit of sense!