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Oil Painting Still Life

Enough already!

Veges-oil

Oil on canvas board, 16×12″
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I’ve been working on these two oil paintings for way too long and I officially call them done. Now it’s time to move on. I learned a lot, including that it’s really hard to photograph them, especially at night. The one above is based on a couple of photos I posted here when I first started working on this piece. It’s been through soooo many changes and I’m so done with it!

Roses-oil
Oil on canvas, 12 x16″
To enlarge, click image, select All Sizes

For the painting above I’ve since done value and compositional sketches to improve on the reference photo (all posted here) but I’d already started this painting and so kept on plugging away until it was finished. Now I can start over with the better composition. Towards the end I was just making up leaves and making more negative space to try to help the composition. The colors and values are better in real life. The painting looks kind of dull and yellowish in this photo.

Now I have 16 brushes to scrub and clean before I can go to bed and it’s already midnight. That’s what happens when you paint up until the last minute before going out for the evening. I really wanted to finish both paintings before going out but I suddenly discovered I only had 10 minutes to get dressed, put on makeup, and feed the cats before Michael was supposed to arrive so I locked the kitties out of the studio and just left everything. We went out for pizza and then to see The Queen (I’m a Helen Mirren fan). Then I came back and finished the paintings. I’m tired.

10 replies on “Enough already!”

JANA!!! SOCK-REMOVING AWESOME!!! THOSE FLOWERS — WOWZA! VASE AND REFLECTIONS — OH BUT THOSE LEAVES!!! RICH RICH RICH! AND BLOSSOMS!!! YOU GO GIRL — THIS IS FANTASTIC!

AND THE VEGGIES!!! OH MY OH MY OH MY!!! GORGEMENTOUS! BE PROUD, my friend — these are GLORIOSO!

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Jana, these are really lovely. I know you’ve been struggling with them, and they’re very different from your watercolors but quite beautiful. Congratulations. How did you like The Queen?

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Needless to say, I love the paintings. Wonderful as ever. I congratulate you since all yoru goals seem to be coming to fruition.

Technically I am intrigued by how the shadow is laid out over the underlying elements. is this trsnparencey a characteristic of watercolor? How do you achieve that? You have a mastering of the media that I admire.

This next Friday I will be attending my first free class on watercolors. I have been inspired by your wonderful painings and sketches. I know that is a catch so peopel will enroll on the full paying classes, and I am going for it!

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Thanks Casey. I enjoyed the film — it was well made, well-acted, moving and interesting. But it was pretty simple and not a subject I’m terribly interested in. It was also rather one-dimensional, portraying the royal family as out of touch and pointless and unfeeling (except Helen Mirren). I wouldn’t recommend it really, unless one is a Helen Mirren fan, or really interested in the Royal Family and princess Diana. I’m looking forward to seeing Miss Potter about Beatrix Potter. They showed a trailer for it and it looks like a fun movie with lots of watercolor painting in it.

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Yari, You’re right, these are oil paintings. The shadow is made by mixing a neutralized darker value of the same color of the object that the shadow is on. The same approach can be used for watercolor. I wrote about it here.

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Your attention to pattern and colour is rather Matisse like I think! Good job. Thanks for posting your latest oil efforts, Jana.

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Cool – what a neat bit of whimsey combines with urban info. You are so diverse and I envy your environment along with your amazing talent.
Sandy

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