Lemons and Lace II Oil 12 x 16
Part of my 'Porcelain' series, Lemons and Lace II, features English
porcelain and one of my favourite props, a vintage blue medicine bottle.
Blue and yellow is one of my favoured colour combinations as I find the
freshness of the yellow lemons against the blue patterning of the china very inspiring. In particular I enjoyed painting the varied depths
of the shadow from the wedge of lemon protruding over the edge of table.
It's these subtle observations that give me so much pleasure in
painting a still life from life.
I've been trying to get back into a regular schedule of painting, following the passing of my father. When you haven't been painting very much, each colour mix and how you approach the painting, seems to be full of challenges. I've decided for the next short while to go back down to smaller pieces and try to get back into the groove of painting, and then I'd like to take a little break from still life and get back into some landscape pieces. Landscapes always feel so freeing as opposed to the close concentration of still lifes. They come off my brush in a much more impressionistic style. I hope that by mixing things up a bit I'll get back in the groove. Have you had moments when the paint just doesn't seem to flow off your brush or you're just not getting behind the easel as much as you used to? What did you do to overcome this obstacle? I'd love to hear some thoughts and suggestions.
This is gorgeous, Claire ... I love your porcelain series and even though I love your landscapes I hope to see more of these...you do so well with still life. The deep shadows from the lemons are so well done! When my Dad was around, he always critiqued my paintings and since he lived with us he would always be there observing and commenting! I truly miss that every day and he's still with me ...and I still listen to his opinion.!!
ReplyDeleteHi Hilda, thanks very much for your beautiful comment. I'm sure your dad is still there providing his opinion everyday! they really never leave us completely. .But if I listened to my dad every day I'd be believing that everything I painted was absolutely marvelous!! ha ha ha He was proud. I won't give up on still life, I'm just trying to find my way back to painting as often and with as much passion as I used to. It will come. Thanks for being such a great blogging friend and sharing.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting comparison between landscapes and stilllifes and why you feel the need to create both in your daily work. I like that philosophy! This still life is exquisite, Claire! Wow!
ReplyDeleteHi Kathrine, thanks for your kind comments on my painting. Mostly I like to paint both landscapes and still lifes for my emotional and creative wellbeing. I specialize in still life, but my approach is very detailed and painting them is quite intense, so switching over to something more free is a great balance. But I do have concerns about my different approaches to the different genres. I may actually write about this in a blog post because artists insist it's okay but viewers feel a bit confused by the different styles. Therefore I'm left confused. :-)
ReplyDeleteEnhorabuena tus trabajos son preciosos , siempre es un placer visitar tu blog...
ReplyDeleteUn saludo
Isabel
Dont look after a "style" let your creativity free in ALL KINDS OF PAINTING!
ReplyDeleteGreetings,Willy