still life (2010) - bowl, chopper, mortar-and-pestle

still life (2010) version 2
Originally uploaded by kelise72

16x24 inches, acrylic on canvas

This is one is now version 2.0 (after feedback from my tutor who makes some very good points).

Basically, the "problems" with the original (see previous blog) were
- the composition that included strong diagonals was a bit too "dynamic" for the soft palette chosen
- the mortar-and-pestle was "floating" - because the shadows were inaccurate, and seemed to be a different shape than the object throwing the shadow. Also the shadow was not really "connected" to the object, giving the appearing of floating
- The bright colour of the mortar-and-pestle caused the object to be out of place, ie., it didn't "fit" in the picture - seemed to be from a different palette maybe.

All in all, I'm happy(er) with the painting after the changes... the little jar in the front isn't "floating" anymore (having been firmly anchored to the countertop by the shadow) and also, the colour/tone of it seems to fit better with the whole composition.

I worked on the mortar/pestle, and the shadows a bit, however, hestitated to change the diagonals (as I really wasn't sure then how changing diagonals would affect the shadows?) So in the end, I merely softened the diagonals with lighter grays/taupes, and I think it worked out OK.

I like this 2nd attempt MUCH better now, so it is saved from the bin :)

still life - bowl, chopper, mortar-and-pestle (2010)

still life (2010)
Originally uploaded by kelise72

This is one is attempting to imitate Morandi's style, using a limited palette to paint still-life objects (bottles, bowls, jugs and such). heh, I just said "jugs"...

I like the softness of this painting very much; it has quite a soothing quality which is a bit unexpected for a painting of a collection of simple kitchen implements... makes me think of the sleepy shuffle to the kitchen to make the morning coffee...

Technically speaking, this painting wasn't very difficult as I spent about half the time (about 4 hours overall) just to set the initial drawing (using graphite pencil). Drawing well to start makes the rest of the piece easier to accomplish. Interestingly, the first layer of paint sort of blended with the graphite and moved around the canvas, helping the shadows to appear. (I'm thinking to do something similar with charcoal as the underlayer with just water or maybe watery white paint to move the charcoal around ... hmmmm....)

As it was, I used the following Liquitex colours in this painting:
- Titanium White
- Dioxide Purple
- Cadmium Yellow Medium
(two complementary colours)
- Payne's Gray

It seems that the composition is quite strong too, in that the diagonal lines move the eye around the picture quite easily - without the strong diagonals (of the countertop, the shadows), I think the composition would be weakened.

If I'm to make one criticism, the yellow stone mortar/pestle seems to "float" a bit, almost seems to hover over the countertop but as I'm now bored with the thing, I won't bother to make any changes. And the "floaty" mortar/pestle is less apparent in the real painting anyway.

Other than that, I'm pretty pleased with this one!

Next up: a portrait using the same limited palette, it will be interesting to see how that turns out!

more still life...

Here is the result of my latest assignment from my tutor... and no, still life is definitely NOT my favorite. I suppose, though, this is necessary exercise so I can get lots more practice applying paint to canvas.

So Cezanne I am not, that much is obvious. LOL.

I feel the end result is fairly successful. However, when I study the final painting carefully, when I have a good look, it’s usually only then that I notice the painting seems to be slightly distorted (e.g., one or more of the objects is slightly askew in some way). Likely causes are: my drawing wasn’t as accurate to begin with, perhaps the lighting changed, or perhaps when I got up for tea, I sat down again in a slightly different spot.

When I think about it, quite a lot of my drawings and paintings seem to have this “slightly awkward” quality, so I’m not sure if it can be helped or even if I want to start obsessing over this lack of perfection. I’m kind of awkward as a person so maybe it’s just my personality coming out, and as such, I try not to worry too much about it. (Knowing myself, I suspect trying to be more “perfect” will result in my work losing some of its character.) Besides, past attempts at perfection have only resulted in paper that looks somewhat chewed up. :)

At some point, I've learned to recognise when I've lost interest or when I'm trying too hard, which is exactly the point that the painting necessarily is finished, and a mere few strokes away from destruction.

And here's another one for my portfolio (maybe!)

'Til next time...

pumps get revenge...

During the hunt for suitable portfolio material, I found this little drawing which still amuses me...

(This is my version of a "still life" because fruit and vegetables aren't that interesting... but party girl shoes stomping the life out of a Hoover is hilarious!)

pumps get revenge (2001) - 14 x 19 inches

The general theme, one could say, is one of, who the hell wants to do housework when there is something way more fun to do! At any rate, I don't know if it will be included in the portfolio collection but thought I'd share none the less..