Feb. 9, 2008

Today's painting is a red pear and some grapes. I set them down beside my palette and painted them while looking down. This kind of view is more contemporary, and I am enjoying the freedom of these daily paintings. They are pretty much just whatever I want to do on any given day.
Like I said back in third grade. "Art is fun. I like to paint and draw."

Feb. 8, 2008

Here is tea in my mom's old Royal Doulton china.
I remember when she got it. I was about 5 or 6, and that makes this china about, well, lets say its OLD. Anyway she and my dad took a trip to England, and she bought this china while in London.
When they returned after a weeks' absence, my twin brother and I were watching "Wizard of Oz" on TV, and we hardly noticed they were back. That was when the whole movie was in black and white, because we didn't have a color TV yet. In fact, we had only had a TV for about a year then.
Yes, I am dating myself!
Mom always commented that she regretted not getting a more colorful pattern, instead of this simple white with gold band. But I like it. And when I was done painting, I had a nice cuppa, as they say across the pond. As a tip of the hat to our British friends, the tea is "British Blend".

Painting anything white requires one to start with a "dark white". I used a mix of red iron oxide and prussian blue with white to form the "base" color here, but that would vary depending on what was around the white object, particularly if it's something reflective or shiny like this china.
Green surroundings would cause the white to take on a greenish cast, blue background, a bluish cast, etc. etc.
This "dark white" becomes the local color of the white object in its surroundings, so that needed highlights can show up. Reflected light is colored by whatever it is bouncing off of. Notice the underside of the saucer picking up the blue of the tablecloth, as well as portions of the cup itself.
There is a highlight on the cup, but my bad photography doesn't really show it much.

So, thanks, Mom, for the nice set of dishes. I think of you every time I get them out.

Feb. 7, 2008

Okay, I decided to have a little fun today. That's what these daily paintings are all about. They challenge me to try new things, to focus on essentials, and just simply to practice my craft every day. But they are also just plain ol' fun. So, in that spirit, here is "Snack Attack".
I don't think the pear seems worried.

Feb. 6, 2008

What a day today! I wasn't home most of the day, and so got a late start on painting. I decided on these two objects, mainly because I liked the color contrast of the old blue/green bottle and the warm gold of the brass bunny. It is fun and challenging to paint both glass and metal, though this old bunny doesn't have much of a shine, so there weren't many reflective qualities to try to capture. But I am fond of the bunny, he's been around for quite a long time.

Tomorrow, I may do something totally different, as I've had some ideas that I wanted to try to do. So, check back tomorrow and see what's up.

The Chaperone

I don't know why, but pears just seem to have personalities. As I was painting this set up today, it struck me that the the red pear and the grapes were eyeing each other, like they're trying to hold hands behind the scene. That green pear, stuck glumly in the middle ( almost has an eye roll going on, can you see it?) is rather impatiently fulfilling the role of chaperone.
Or maybe I'm just still sleep deprived from our long weekend of running and driving through the ice storm.
For this set up, I tried to be more purposeful about each and every brush stroke. I'm not a patient person, and tend to rush in and lay down alot of paint, and usually end up re-working many areas in the painting because I haven't taken the time to really consider what's needed.
So, trying to mend my ways in that regard. It was partially successful = I'll keep working on it!

Feb. 4, 2008

Today's painting was inspired by our weekend in Virginia in the George Washington National Forest. As we topped out on a ridge, there was this small clearing and the afternoon sun left a patch of brightness on the snow. We had many miles to go yet, so I had to make do with my memory and a photograph and paint once I got back home.