Lemon with Cans

Lemons with Cans

6x6in oil on canvas panel    85.

For the Dailypaintworks Challenge - Seeing Double. Where two paintings
of different sizes have to be done from the same source material.
This is the other painting done from the same set up as yesterday.
I just moved my easel slightly and zoned in on the cans.

Artist Note.

Here is the grouping in the studio. All these things I had recently painted and
placed on the counter ready to be put away,
but as I was walking past them the colors caught my eye
and I found them beautiful.

yes...that is masking tape in the top
right corner! My level below it.
The plum and little vase was
replaced by the lemon and lime.
The turquoise pencil was right there.
It all looked perfect so I brought my
easel over and painted it as is.


I had to be careful not to have both cans too shiny so I made the closer
one more detailed. The cans were the most difficult thing to do with
the fracturing technique.

Pencil with Lemons

Pencil with Lemons

8x6in oil on canvas panel    SOLD

This color combination, red, yellow, blue and green, all in the same painting
can be one of the hardest to pull off. Need your sunglasses?

Artist Note.

This is for the Daily Paintworks Challenge , Seeing Double.
Hosted by Artist, Kimberly Santini.
You have to do two painting of different sizes from the same source.
I painted two side by side.
I will post the other one tomorrow.

Regarding the rainbow of colors in the painting above.
The grey cans help act as a foil against the bright red colander.
All the yellow lemons have some green and red in them.
The green leaves have red and yellow - get the drift?
Everything should be harmonious when mixtures contain
similar bases.
The turquoise pencil is the stand alone color but turquoise
is a yellow/green blue and I moved small touches of it around
here and there.
I think the golden rule is to not have equal amounts of all
the different colors but I have seen it pulled off beautifully
in expert hands.

Falling Out

Falling Out.

6x8in  oil on canvas board   100.

On these small pieces I enjoy trying to paint something
challenging so I thought I would like to paint the lemons
with back lighting.
After painting and studying lemons in this series
my goal is to paint them from my imagination.


Artist Note

It was all a struggle on this piece. I had a different surface
to work on and I found it made a big difference. It was much
more difficult to achieve what I was after.
This is a Raymar, medium tooth, landscape cotton.
Great for landscapes but pretty tough for a fracturing technique.
That's the way I find out these things...the hard way!

Seriously,
I almost put a headstone in with the title, Lemons - R.I.P.

Odd Man Out

Odd Man Out.

6x6in oil on canvas board   SOLD

Yes - that is a lime on top of the lemons.
Running late as I was painting on something else today and forgot the time.
This is a Mexican, hand-blown glass bowl with deep, greeny blue tones at the base.
Heavy, but lovely with its imperfections.

Waiting to be Sliced

Waiting to be Sliced.

6x8in  oil on canvas panel  SOLD



After soaking the lemons to get rid of any pesticides,
 I drained them ready to slice for lemonade or my glass of water.


Artist Notes.

I have painted this cheerful, red colander before and it doesn't get any easier.
Especially with the fracturing technique. I am still figuring it out. Some things
are easier than others.

My colander was not a full circle because of my viewpoint which was not
directly overhead.
This is how I do a slight ellipse.

First I draw a square in the size I need.
Corner to corner to find the center
then half it both ways.
Make your circle as shown

Estimate the depth of the bowl and
the size of the base.
As I was looking into mine I could see
the full bottom with more of the sides
showing on the far side.
First I drew the horizontal line below,
but parallel to the first one (see red)
add to existing center vertical - as
a reminder - and do a smaller, full circle
for the bottom of  the bowl.


In my case I did this first before I placed the lemons back into the colander.
It helps me understand the depth of what I am working with.
It is is not perfect, but it beats the heck out of making a box
in perspective to make the correct ellipse.

Milk or Lemon in Your Tea?

Milk or Lemon in your Tea?

8x6in  oil on canvas panel   SOLD

Still on the lemons. I had a couple of requests to see more of my dishes
so I thought this would be a fun way to show them.

Artist Note.

The color temperature of the light bulb - in this case warm, dictates the
colors of the shadow.
Warm light, cool shadow and cool light, warm shadows.
It really did make an aqua shade on the creamer.
My question is...I think of aqua
as a warm blue. Do you? Should I have painted a cool blue
even though it looked aqua and warm?

With paint, everything is relative to what it is next to and
the aqua is certainly cooler than the colored rim.

Lemon on Saucer

Lemon on Saucer

6x8in  oil on canvas board   SOLD


This was a demo for the Guild this morning.
Believe it or not, I own a set of these funky dishes with wonderful colors
and patterns on them. Had them many, many, years, used them every day and still love them.
Not for the faint of heart for sure!

Artist Note.

I did a yellow, green and orange wash to start off with.
Painting is not completed yet.

Lemonade

Lemonade

8x6in oil on canvas panel   SOLD

Mother's Day today and thinking of my own, wonderful mother
and although she is no longer here, the memories are as
clear and loving as ever.


Artist Note.

The incredible painter Abby Ryan came up with the the
 Daily Paintworks Challenge this week. The Yellow Challenge

One day too late to put in my lemon slices from yesterday!!!!

Abby asks the question - what does yellow mean to you?
Easy - sunshine, happiness and feeling good.



This time I thought I would see what it was like to explore fracturing
with painting the lemons in water.

 YELLOW
My palette was:
Titanium white
cad yellow light
Naples yellow
Indian yellow
Light red
viridian
Transparent brown oxide.
I put some yellow in every color I mixed.

Lemon Slices

Lemon Slices

6x6in  oil on canvas panel   SOLD

Another fast one so I can spend time with my son while he is visiting.


Artist Note.

Still working on the fracturing and trying different yellow mixtures with this one. I set up a higher key
and then thought it needed a dark, so I put in the knife.

First try at setting up.

The only dark is the shadow
all the way at the edge.
(My eye stays in that spot.)

The knife adds a dynamic angle
and dark value to offset the
light colored, round shapes of the
lemons.
It also moves the eye around
and back up to it.

Lemon Peel

Lemon Peel

8x6in oil on canvas panel    100.

One of my sons who lives in another state
surprised me today with a visit (for Mothers Day)
and I naturally want to spend
time with him. So this is a fast one!


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