Everything Yellow

6" square, oil on canvas panel

Pretty ripe pears now. Maybe one more day's worth of modeling.

Pears in the Middle

8x6", oil on canvas panel

I lost this post somehow, so this is a redo, slightly better photo this time. So much to learn!

Pears on Blue

More pears sitting down. I am going to stick at these pears until I completely get it.

The Two Better Pears

6" square, oil on canvas panel

The color is not so delightful here, but I am making an effort to get away from the whorish color that is my natural inclination. Also, I was disgusted with myself and just trying to get truer values so the pears would finally sit down believably. I have been looking at L. Freud's cyclamen today, which is crippling but excellent to see.

The Two Worse Pears

6" square, oil on canvas panel

Edges not so good and they don't sit down! I saw that my relatively new brush is all scrabbly at the ends, it could be entirely the fault of the brush. Yes. So I tried again, a fast one without too much dreaded thinking.

Two Peppers on a Yellow Plate

6 " square, oil on canvas panel

This is the 5th painting of the red peppers and the only survivor. It was somewhat easier today after spending yesterday exploring them (and gnashing my teeth). The greyed reflected light on the surfaces is just outside my grasp for now. The answer to this is more looking, more painting, but maybe also a pepper break.

Hen in a Bowl

8x6" oil on canvas panel

Today I was beaten by two red peppers on a pink cloth. The paint was uncontrollable, slippery, muddy and mean. With humility I will begin again on the peppers tomorrow. This painting above is about a month old, a cornish game hen.

Two Peppers

Working on shadows again today, trying to keep away from that lurid color I love so much.

Pomfret on a Saucer, II

8x6" oil on canvas panel

Here is the second try, first try below. This didn't photograph as well, it is raining here today, but it is the better one I think. I would try it again but he is losing his freshness and his color is fading.

Pomfret on a Saucer, I

6x8" oil on canvas panel

I bought this lovely little pomfret and had to wrestle with the fish person to keep her from filleting it. When I got it into the studio I put him on this green glass plate, which is wonky in the painting, but the problem really was getting all the subtle greys and silvers, and the iridescence. I realize this is biting off a lot for a relative novice, so I tried it again with less color in Pomfret II, above.

Zucchini On Pink Cocktail Dress

My effort yesterday was to get the darks darks enough (I resist this for some reason) so that the form sits down in space with authority. And also, to investigate what is actually happening in the shadows. I have in my head a large pink still life and it would be great to know better how to use pink, such a funny shocking color. I had good painting yesterday, not much frustration and some flow. I am also working on some baby portraits which I'll post soon.

Grapefruit on a Glass plate

6" square, oil on gessoed paper

I painted yesterday's blue plate and apricots again trying to get the blue right, but it eluded me, so I turned to my huge supply of grapefruit. My default grapefruit. I will have to play around

with the blues and oranges to figure out how to make the blues and oranges stronger and cleaner.

Apricots on a Blue Plate

6 " square, oil on canvas panel

Still a couple of wiped down paintings before this one, but the important thing is learning I say to myself. I am working with a limited palette of colors (for discipline and learning to mix) and I can't quite get the luminous blue. Maybe I will cheat today and sneak in a tube of cobalt. Or windsor.

Two Old Lemons 6" square, oil on canvas panel

I have been out of the studio for a few days, so yesterday was full of stumbling and frustration: 4 wiped down paintings and thinking I should have gone to secretarial school. This one is sort of passable. At least it looks 3 dimensional. I can see now that one of the benefits of blogging is that you HAVE to post something, and I am debating whether that also means if all you have is merde, that must be posted? Worth contemplating.

Cantaloupe and Lime, oil on canvas panel, 6x8"

I am trying to work out hot colors here, to get excessive saturation and intensity, and above all use that hot pink to best advantage.

Caesar, oil on panel, 6 x 12"

My neighbor's dog, Caesar, is beautifully behaved and very very smart. This is oil on panel, and the surface was slick and took the paint differently from canvas. The brush strokes stayed separate and distinct from one another.

Grapefruit on Green Glass Plate

In 2006 I decided to put aside abstraction and teach myself to paint realistically. What follows is the evidence. I have learned so much on the internet from artists' blogs and now I begin my own. Off we go....

I bought this green plate at the thrift store, and the color is so fresh. My friend Joe also got a deal on 100 grapefruit and gave me some, so I have been thinking of ways to use it up. With lights positioned behind the setup, the fruit glows.