Drawing of "The Innocence" after Mian Situ

If you haven't seen the cover of the January/February issue of Art of the West magazine, please take a look. I fell in love with this beautiful painting, "The Innocence"  by Mian Situ and couldn't resist drawing it. I'm trying to improve my drawing skills and understanding of values and color. I notice that when I feel challenged to understand something, my paint application is very controlled. Someday, I'd love to paint more expressively like this. With knowledge, confidence, and miles of canvas I may get there! I hope so.

Lemon and Garlic, 6 x 6"

This painting is in a narrow value range, but high key, meaning most of the values are pretty light. This was an experiment in color and lighting. The lemon and garlic are sitting on a white cloth, with a purple cloth (unseen to you) as a backdrop and overhead. The lighting created all sorts of reflected color. I was very interested in capturing the subtle grays of the garlic. If I were to tweak this painting, I'd take another look at that lemon to see what it needs. What a challenge to paint yellows! This was a fun experiment.

Paint Table, 6 x 6"

Here's a change of subject, painted in a limited palette. I have discovered that of my paintings, the ones I usually like the least are those that muddle in the middle. Meaning, the value range is narrow and there aren't extreme lights and darks. Sometimes, that's great to evoke a certain mood. In this painting, I was aware that the scene would be mostly in the middle, but I tried include the dark and light accents. Do they offer enough contrast and interest? I'll give this some thought (and maybe play with it on my computer, to see). On to the next!

Remembering Snow, exercise, 6 x 6"

 

We've been getting so much snow here, just north of Boston. The piles outside are at least 4 feet high! This is a memory painting of sorts...remembering the snow, but taking liberties with the landscape. Much more on the way...snow, I meant. But I could do more paintings of it. Why not?  : ) 

Keep On Truckin' 2, 9 x 12", cropped

Why, you ask? Why another truck with eggs? Because, I'm learning!

I think the drawing here is more accurate and perhaps the composition feels more comfortable than my original 12 x 12" painting (still to come in it's finished state). I was more aggressive in the colors I used—there's more contrast in the lights and darks of the eggs and the blue background is more saturated. I'm not saying it's better overall, just stating what's different. Do stay tuned, if you dare, to see the final 12 x 12" painting. I'll post new paintings after this, for a change of subject. Whew.

Keep On Truckin', color study, 6 x 6"

 "Keep On Truckin'" is still a work in progress. In this small painting, I was testing out the color of the eggs, the background, and the value of the table (thus the patch of darker, more alizarin color on the table). I am constantly challenged and intrigued by the effects one area of color can have on another. Here, the eggs have been warmed up a bit. I'm just about finished with the larger 12 x 12" painting and will post it once it's dry. Time to move on!

Keep On Truckin', 12 x 12"

Here’s the second of my truck paintings and once again, I feel something's not quite right—aside from my photo being a little soft-focused. I may need to adjust the “whites” of my eggs. I'll let this painting sit a bit so I can regain my strength and determination! I’d love to achieve the subtle effects I envision, but this is the best I can do right now. Gotta keep on truckin’!