Belated Valentine!

Valentine Reds, 16"x16" oil on stretched canvas

The idea here was to explore the qualities of different reds: Pyrrol Red, Cadmium Red, Permanent Magenta, etc.  The  large chocolate heart was covered in red tin foil...a challenge to paint!  I painted the heart trying to get the volume and values right and then glazed it with Pyrrol Red, which gets it red, and then went back in to pick up a few little highlights in white to try to get that sheen of tin  foil.  The heart, rose and candies were on a bed of pink tissue paper, over a red velvety fabric. This was an exercise in using the colour red and in creating texture.  Done in Still Life Class & Colour Theory at Ian Shatilla Studios...a great course and a great teacher!

Small Format Again

Secret Garden Pond, 8" x8" oil on canvas board

This painting is based on a photo of the little pond in our back garden which is now buried under much snow!  By pond, I mean a small pond with a flat dish - like shape beside a large rock and a little statue, with a small water pump feature that circulates the water up from the pond and then down onto the flat dish where it pools and then overflows back into the little pond.  The sound of the trickling water is very soothing.   What I tried to capture was the texture created by all the different leaf shapes and rhythms.  Also, the play of light and dark.  A little bit of summer in the depth of February, though today with the sun and the warmer temperature, there was hope!

A Larger Still Life

Antique Kitchen Utensil, 14" x 18", oil on stretched canvas

Back on to a larger surface in this work.  Working with only one object on a larger canvas poses the challenge of how to keep the whole space interesting and active.  I used a very limited palette here, mostly of Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Umber and Titanium White, with a bit of Alizarin Crimson, Cobalt Blue and Raw Sienna.  The beater is quite neat.  You press down on it and the whole thing compresses, causing the wire whisk to turn.  Very clever! 

Day 30: 30 Paintings 30 Days

Barn Near St. Irénée, Quebec, 7" x 9"

A summer scene painted in the midst of another cold spell.  Oh well, we can always dream!  This was painted from a photo I took on a trip many years ago to the Charlevoix.  Well, I did it!  I painted 30 paintings in 30 days.  It is pretty addictive, so though I might not post every day, I intend to be painting quite a bit and will post frequently.  Many thanks for the many wonderful comments and interest!  It really helped to spur me on. 

Day 29: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Carrot Cake, 6" x 8" oil on canvas board

With apologies to Wayne Thibaud, a most remarkable painter of pastries and cakes, amongst other things.  This was fun to paint but hard to look at for a couple of hours without sneaking a bite.  I think I subconsciously omitted a fork from the painting as a way of saying "hands off" to myself.  The glass plate posed a challenge too, to paint, that is! 

Day 28: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Eggs, Bowl and Plate, 8" x 8" oil on canvas board

There was a very dramatic ray of light coming in from the side of this still life composition, so I worked as fast as I could to try to capture what I was seeing before the light faded.  Tricky business!  I remember years ago in a drawing class having to draw 3 eggs on a white plate.  Sounds easy, right?  Not so much!

Day 27: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Cream Jug and Strawberries, 8" x 8" oil on canvas board

I think the composition could be improved by not having the creamer handle cropped the way it is.  It should be on or off.  It's a similar  to shooting a photo where the age old wisdom is not to cut people at their joints (elbows, knees, etc.) because there is something deeply unsettling about that to the human psyche.  Guess it's the same for jug handles?  Sometimes you need to break the rules to get something more dynamic, but I don't think that was the result here.  Well, part of the point in doing this is to learn....