Peonies and Citrus

 

Peonies and Citrus

11x14 oil on panel

Catching the Light

 

Catching the Light

10x10 oil on panel

 

I love the way the light hit the side of this vase and just the edge of the hydrangeas.  I have been experimenting lately and just plain having fun.  For this I used a ground of cad red and neomeglip as a medium.  I like them both.

Peaches and Hydrangeas

6x6 oil on panel

 

I have been spending my painting time experimenting, playing around and trying something different. This study was done with neo meglip as a medium on an oil primed ground toned with cad red.

Playing with Cad Red

Wearing Red

6x6 oil on panel

 

I wanted to try something different, to experiment.  I've often toned my panel with earth orange, this time I tried Cadmium Red. I liked the way this turned out and I know I will try it again.

Demo at GSAA

On Thursday I did a demo for GSAA. I explained that my paintings proceed in three steps.  The first is planning and design and involves taking my own reference photos, creating thumbnails using three values. I use a golden section grid and rearrange objects to suit my composition, I then transfer the idea to a mounted pastel paper limiting my design to five basic shapes.  All of this was done before the demo. Next I chose hard pastels for my under painting paying attention to values with cools in the background and warmer in the foreground. This was quickly washed with alcohol to create a toned surface. I love having some of the deep red violets peek through the green. I then quickly added layers of pastel to suggest the scene without being too literal. When I start to feel the tendency to overwork I stop and take a break to observe and make some decisions. This is how the painting looked at the end of my demo.

Back on my easel I put the reference photo away and made some observations:
                                 

• Add some bright golds to the foreground field to invite the eye in. Some of these should overlap the next layer to create depth.
•  Soften the back layer of trees to break the barrier to the mountain and add variety to this edge.
• Make the right hand distance tree more dominant and minimize the left so they don't compete for attention.
• Adjust the brush to allow access to the field.
• Reshape the front and center bush and adjust the other two so they do not mimic the first.
•  Add wild flowers in the field to pull the eye in. Add blue violets in the foreground just for fun.

This is how the painting looks after this step:

Just a few more corrections needed:

• Soften the ridge line to the left of the left tree
• Break up the rows on the left
• Make the large tree even more dominant

Pears

Pear studies

 

 

Pear 1

Pear 2

 

I did these little pear studies today as an experiment.  I am trying to work with lost and found edges and to not over-work.  I wish these were more dramatic, had a little more punch.  Sometimes my paintings "sing" these don't but I like the edges and I had fun painting these.

PSA

Today I received a notice that I was accepted into the Pastel Society of America.  I am thrilled beyond words!