Lilies in White Jug with Pears

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I am pleased with the movement of color around and across the white jug in this painting. I feel it  captures the sunlight as it bounces off the books, pears and tabletop. Painting "white" by putting color into it, is a total rush for me. There once was a time when I couldn't even see color in white, never mind paint it. It is wonderful to continue to advance in my ability to really see. Ironically, it comes at a time in my life when I have to wear glasses!

Sunflowers and Blue Bottle and Pears

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This is a painting I did a few weeks ago, and have been meaning to post. Creating a still life in plein aire and alla prima was a double challenge. I had to work quickly. I had to be precise about what I was seeing. I had to really look at the values. I find this all to be very rewarding because my primary purpose as an artist right now is to stay loose and painterly. Plein aire and alla prima sort of force that to happen. When I work this way, not every painting is a keeper. In fact, some are truly bad. The ones that work out, however, are very satisfying to me.

Orchids to Scale

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Please remind me NOT to put a round object dead center in the middle of a still life set up ever again. It is absolute self-sabotage.

Sunburst Through Bottle

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I love when the sun bursts through glass. I love when the sun bursts through anything for that matter. So when it happened that the sun burst through the window just behind the still life I was in the middle of painting, I worked frantically to catch it. I abandoned the idea of the set up in a cool north light as I had been working it, and quickly added in the long blue shadows brought about by the sun. I stroked more yellow into the bottle and the sunlit top of the pears. Then, almost as fast as it came, the sun blast left. In spite of how rapidly I had worked, the painting was not finished. What to do? Like a patient wild game hunter, I decided to lay in wait at the same time the next day. With my paint brush in hand, I was ready when the sudden sunburst returned. It remained just long enough to capture its effect. Ahhh.

Old Bottle and Pears

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So there's a little story about this bottle. My husband and I often take walks through a nature preserve near our house. The last time we went out for a walk was just after Hurricane Sandy had blown through our area. There was a lot of erosion and in one upturned section, we noticed broken bits of pottery lying exposed in the dirt. We started to dig and unearthed this beautiful green bottle. A piece of the pottery found at the same time had markings dating it back to the 1880s. Maybe I should have called this piece, 'Really Old Bottle and Pears!"

Large Ceramic Pot with Sunflowers

I have been attempting to create two paintings from the same still life setup. I usually start with a smaller panel, 6"x6" and then go a bit bigger for the second painting, 8"x8". Here is the second, larger painting from the kitchen setup I did yesterday. You would think that because I worked out the colors and light and values in the smaller version, this one would almost paint itself. Not so much!  ;)

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Sunflowers in Ceramic Pot

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I find painting still life in natural light to be so challenging. A setup on my kitchen table is especially difficult as there are two sources of light. One window lets in warm sunlight while the the other lets in cool north light. As the day progresses, and the sun moves around the house, that north light window eventually is warm with sunlight. Add in that the sun is basically down by 4 pm and I am literally racing with the clock. Ultimately, as I chase the sun, putting cool light down over an underlayment of warm, a wonderful vibration of color starts to happen. That is what I love the most and while challenging, painting still life in natural light is oh so worth it!

Copper Pot of Sunflowers with Pears

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Since sunflowers last a long time, I decided to create a large painting of this still life.  It is 11"x14" - way bigger than my usual 6"x 6" -  and took two sessions to complete. The sunflowers held up nicely. Overall, they are a very forgiving flower to paint, unlike roses where one false stroke, and you might end up with a tulip on your hands... or canvas! Think I might be off to buy another bunch of these beauties tomorrow. Available as a note card.

Sunflowers and Pears

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There is a wonderful little farm stand just down the road from my house. The other day in the pouring rain, I pulled over, ran in and grabbed up this bouquet of sunflowers. "Oh, won't these brighten up your house on such a gloomy day," said the owner as she wrapped them up. Little did she know what I was really going to do with them when I got home!

Pears and Ceramic Pot

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 The paintings I admire most are ones that have been painted in natural light. There is a tenderness and a subtlety to the colors and values that I just love. It happens that wonderful north light floods my kitchen for most of the day, so I have started painting in my kitchen... and as long as I am not cooking, being in the kitchen is just fine with me!

Pears in Red and Yellow

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My exploration of lost and found edges, atmosphere and value continues in this painting. The study is made so much more enjoyable with the inclusion of the last few blooms from my yellow rose bush and with the pear, a wonderful fruit that comes in an endless variety of shapes and colors!

Pinkish Pear and Yellow Rose

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I am trying to soften my edges to create atmosphere between the objects in my still life paintings. One of the tips I got from artist Melissa Franklin Sanchez when I took her workshop this past summer was NOT to work too much in the shadows. Shadows of the proper value, with little or no detail,  help create that feeling of atmosphere.  I am happy with the way this one turned out.

Yellow Roses in Soft Light

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I believe that this big, beautiful, yellow bloom is the last offering from my rose bush this season. It filled  my studio with a heavenly scent as I painted it adieu. Lusciousness.

Blue Vase with Flowers and Fruit

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Lost and found edges, values, color, composition, brush work - so much to consider. The discipline of painting daily and painting small and all in one sitting is moving me closer to the way I want to paint... one day at a time.

More Yellow Roses and Pears

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I loved the small study I did of this still live set-up, so I decided to do it again on a bigger scale. Having already worked out the coloration and composition in the earlier painting made executing this larger one much easier. I am giving a"thumbs up" to this process.

Yellow Roses and Pears

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 I have decided to start adding more elements to my still life set-ups. Ironically, I think it was easier to execute this painting with the additional subject matter than others I've painted in the past with just one focal point. Perhaps I am on to something here!