I roughed in some planes on the faces of four of the young women in The Chair, more work ahead.
The Chair, © 2022, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
This is a blog about painting: specifically, representational fine art, generally, using oil paint. I think a lot about what I'm doing, and those thoughts about subject matter, technique, influences, frustrations and delights all show up here. It's all about the journey.
I roughed in some planes on the faces of four of the young women in The Chair, more work ahead.
It's just been a struggle today. Foliage is not my forte.
Somerville Roses, © 2022, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
It was time to get back to the woodgrain on the table surface, so I spent the first session of the day on that.
I've wanted to do this for a long time...
It's hard not to mix a purple that's too strong. I'm trying to keep the cloud colors natural by dulling them down (in places) with a little warm pink or orange, and darkening them with Blue Black. But I think their basic structure is believable, at least. Next I have to go back with the light sky color around the cloud edges and here and there where it breaks through.
I can only hope that this week will be more productive than last week. To start things off, here are two pieces:
Molten Chocolate With Gelato, © 2022, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
I cleaned up the black tabletop and also worked on the outer rim of the plate. There are some very subtle color changes there that you might not otherwise be aware of.
Back to this piece again; worked on the light tower, trying to get some edges straight, and also a bit of the countertop on the right side.
I've spent the last few days in a self-indulgent break, spending my time reading an excellent mystery novel, crocheting, and binging on Grantchester. But I had a FaceTime session with a very productive artist friend this morning, and that made me feel guilty enough afterwards to pick up the brushes again. So here's today's work:
Tuesday, unfortunately, was still wet from the last session, so I was constrained in what I could do on the light tower. I'll get back to it soon.
This will never look the way I wanted it to, but it's not so bad.
Next, I tried something completely different, washing some blue over this panel and then rubbing some of it off:
And finally, some more work on the sky:
In earlier iterations of this painting, I tried to capture the look and feel of a very intricate rug pattern, but it was a disaster. Last night I mixed up some neutral colors and brushed them onto the red base, and though it's not what I'm planning to stay with, at least it does allow the eye to focus on the shoes.
Baby Needs Shoes, © 2022, work in progress (click on image for larger view)