OLD OAK WITH FRUIT & REDBUD _ WIP

DAY FOUR

Another day of work on this painting and I've filled in the front of the secretary. I can see that I need to tone it down just a little but it's a pretty good representation of the carving.  It's just a bit too bright.

I also worked on the tall vase and I think it's probably pretty close to finished. Next I think I'll work on the brass dish holding the fruit. I find brass to be a very difficult metal to read...one minute it looks orange & the next it looks green! I'm making some progress on it at any rate.

DETAIL of vase

I'm afraid I'll have to buy some more grapes to use as models because these are starting to look more like raisins and the leaves on the pineapple are getting a little brown now.  I am glad that I took photos!

It's probably time to put in the redbud branch too. It's the key factor in tying the composition together.

OLD OAK WITH FRUIT & REDBUD- WIP

This is the photographic setup for my new 20 x 24 inch still life. I started the painting without the redbud but I decided it would be a nice touch to connect the two areas of the painting.

That's why the redbud isn't in the sketch. I haven't added it to the painting yet but I will put it in soon. I thought it would be easier to add it in at the end so I can work the other areas without it's interference. 

That's why the redbud isn't in the sketch. I haven't added it to the painting yet but I will put it in soon. I thought it would be easier to add it in at the end so I can work the other areas without it's interference. 

Another day... another adjustment

After the first real day of painting I decided to check the effect of the lighting changes I made after the previous painting (WAITING .... the small palomino horse painting) and I'm still not satisfied with the results so I'll move the halogens back even further and see if that helps.

 

I've decided to readjust the studio lighting and I'm hoping that it will fix the "dull" look of some of my recent paintins. I was using some low wattage halogens because the color rendition is supposed to be better than fluorescents or incandescent bulbs but my older paintings painted under balanced fluorescent bulbs (not cfl's) looked better under most lighting conditions so I'm back to experimenting with them. 

So this is the result of today's work on the painting. I had to adjust the painting of the pitcher and I think the results are better with the new lighting even when I move the panel into other lighting conditions. I sure hope this works to reduce the frustration of trying to get values and chroma levels under control.

So today, my biggest progress was made on the oak secretary and lightening the white pitcher overall. I think the "lighting issues" are somewhat under control now!

WAITING

WAITING

10 x 10  Oil on Wood Panel

I thought the photo below would make a nice small painting so I dove right in.  I wasn't very sleepy last night so I worked long into the early hours.  After a good breakfast (Einstein Brothers Bagels with Paul) I came home and got right back into it.

It's not quite finished (I see some things in the photo that bug me) but it's pretty much there.  Maybe someday I will get into adding some background features but for now I just want to focus on the horses.

I received a copy of Horses for Christmas many years ago (the new edition is smaller than the original and far more affordable than the large edition I have in my library) and the way the horses were photographed in front of canvas backdrops was absolutely gorgeous and made a lasting impression on me.

Maybe I'll be able to take some more dramatic images in the future. I know that I'll try to keep my camera with me in the future!

RUFFIAN

RUFFIAN   20 x 16   Oil on canvas

This  is the final version of this painting. I fixed the ears and added a few missing whiskers. No more changes... signed and drying.

RUFFIAN

I was thinking about finding new painting ideas and it occurred to me that I haven't ever really pursued painting my oldest passion... horses.  I took this photo when at a music festival in OK several years ago so I decided to use it as inspiration for my next painting.

I worked on it for a few days and here are the results. I think I still need to make a few refinements when the painting dries for a day or two.

PEWTER WITH THREE PEARS

PEWTER WITH THREE PEARS

Oil on Wood Panel (Gallery Wrap)

20 x 24 inches

I'm glad to pronounce this painting complete! I will try to get a better photo soon. For now, this is it.

My last addition was the leaf that now breaks the strong diagonal. I'm looking forward to starting a companion piece. Yesterday's shopping trip suggests grapes, baby pineapple, starfruit or ??? and  I have a recently adopted collection of milk glass that will probably produce a supporting character!

NEXT!!

PEWTER WITH THREE PEARS - a photoshop experiment

I think the leaf is just what it needed!  I just did this in photoshop and I think it fixes a problem I was having with my composition.  Tomorrow I'll paint it in!

Yea!!!!