Friday, July 31, 2009

Three Apples on violet


I decided to go back to my apples. They are almost a comfort to paint. I have found that a square format is most pleasing to me. This one turned out simple, but good.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

blue dots


I couldn't figure out what was missing about this one. I got the cup right and the apple looks right. Then I realized the composition was too static for me. Maybe a third element would have helped too, or a different color. I am interested in the dots and the value changes in the shadows. I will try another.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Mandarine slices


I painted this one with my friend Johanne when she came over to paint with me. I also took myself to the thrift store and bought some new glass vases and cups.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

green cup and cherries


This dark cup and saucer was a challenge. I want to try a black one and this was working me way toward darker colors.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Red Corgi


My first animal in oil. This is corgi we used to have and still miss, Duncan. I am pleased with it.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

cup of cherries


Cherry season is still on and I am enjoying them to the utmost. For every cherry painting, I eat a bowl full. These got painted because they were not quite ripe and still red. They will be gone tomorrow.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

sweet and sour


This merry-go-round of fruit composition weaves around in a circle. I think a circular composition is tricky, so I had one piece going off the canvas, and one piece of lime sitting a little apart from the others.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Thursday, July 23, 2009

tea time lemon


I like this one because of the brush stoke inside the cup. It looks like light. I also like the luminosity of the lemon. The white of the cup and saucer may be to dark. humm

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

grapes 7-21-09


I am interested to see what the background color does to the subject. This orange is new element for me. I am thinking about using every different color I can find.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

lemon slice


I have been using a tiny format for quick studies. I was after the glow of the translucent lemon.

Monday, July 20, 2009

tomatoes


This is my second attempt at tomatoes. They are interconnected with the stem. I think the heat of my light ripened them to perfection and they went into Mexican rice for dinner with friends.
7-20-09

Friday, July 17, 2009

hot tomatoes


These tomatoes were on a very warm colored green background. I will try this again on another color, but the contrast in the lower 1/3 of the painting is what I wanted. These tomatoes look as warm as this hot July day!

Value study of apples


This was a study to look at composition and value. A monochromatic painting takes the color out of the consideration and leaves the focus on lights and darks. These were very bright green apples, so reducing them to brown let my eye go to the other aspects that make up a successful painting,

Thursday, July 16, 2009

demi cherries


This is the second painting with the demitasse cup. The white was a good exercise is gray.

6X6"

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

My favorite from the workshop


I learned so much about grays on this one. I like best the little dip at the top of the cherry. I watched Carol do this on hers. All in the brush stroke.
this one is 6x6"

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

nectarines


I did these after the workshop and liked the loose background and composition. I am feeling more confident.

Monday, July 13, 2009

grapes


I had fun doing this one. I like the dark grape on the left side. It wasn't defined enough and I had already cleaned my brushes for the day, and didn't want to take out the paint again to give it a new clean line. While I was standing there thinking about this, I picked up a brush and used the end to scrape a line around the grape and this made it look better.
I enjoyed the spontaneous solution.

I also think I got the purple grayed down correctly. Purple is a hard color to control.

Then, to be sure I wouldn't keep messing with it, I ate the grapes.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

golden pepper


I attended a workshop this last week and painted every day. It was exhausting and wonderful. This is the first painting. I like the shadow and the color combination.