Grapes and Pitcher

Grapes and Pitcher

6x6in oil on canvas panel $100. SOLD



This is an older piece that I always liked
so I rubbed a little linseed and Gamsol on it
and painted a little fracturing over it.

Artist Note.

It was fun this weekend concentrating on paintings
for my upcoming show in May.
I worked on three. The smallest one is 16x20
I starting with texturing the canvas with acrylic
modeling paste. I then brushed on a couple of
coats of gesso.
When dry, I did my charcoal drawings
over which I sprayed Krylon fixative.  Really handy
to do it this way just in case I got something wrong as
it would be easy to wipe it off without losing my drawing.
The next step was getting the getting the large shapes
massed in with transparent color. I will be
developing them more completely next week.

Odd Man Out

Odd Man Out.

6x8in oil on canvas board   100.

Guess which item is "the odd man out."

Artist Note:

After the difficulty of painting the "White on White" Challenge,  it has been rewarding to read the complementary comments on the DailyPaintworks page.
Even so, I feel like doing a little bit more contemporary imagery with color.

Whenever an artist can use a full range of values, they get more impact. The placement of a large, very dark area near a smaller light one can give it a pop that makes it noticed. The reversed order is true also. I see this used a lot in the paintings submitted for shows. A smart move as more often than not, subtlety is wasted when an image is only seen for a few seconds by the judges.

Here I linked the back, dark mug into both the light and dark top area and placed a light cup to go up into the dark. This prevented the polka dot mug from sticking out like a sore thumb.

The mug with the spoon in the handle is a new addition to my collection and this is the first time I have painted it. It will be brilliant with my red teapot. Maybe tomorrow?

Black Grapes

Black Grapes

6x6 oil on canvas $85.

My husband brought home these delicious black grapes. Unfortunately he found that they have seeds in them so they will not be eaten quite as quickly. They do make nice dark shapes in a still life though so I am happier than he is.