More Pumpkin

It seems like I've had this one going for quite some time. Good thing the pupkin and onions are still okay. I worked hard to capture the texture of the pumpkin without destroying the big light effect. I'm using a large glass tabletop palette these days which is forcing me to slow down a bit and consider each brushstroke. An aded benefit is that it's less wearing on the brush when I occasionally have to mix between color strings. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Sometimes I have to remind myself just how much I have to be thankful for.

Starts

Here's some of the things that I've been working on at the GCA. The figure and the portrait are both on 9"x12" linen on board. I'm using New Dimensions panels which have Claessens oil primed linen on them and they're a big improvement over the Utrecht panels. The poster study is on a 5"x7" canvas board. I can't say enough about poster studies. If you're not using them I recommend you give them a try. I use them for two things. One, as a color swatch that I apply the paint onto as I'm mixing my colors to make sure that I stay in the same range, and two, to make sure I keep my values compressed withing a given area so that I don't roll out of a shadow too abruptly or stay dark for too long. For these paintings I'm using pre-mixed strings of colors that I put into syringes ( I got the idea from some of the artists at rational painting). I'm using a very limited palette of flake white, van dyke brown,vermilion and yellow ochre. I'm learning to temper the colors with neutrals as I go in order to better turn down the forms away from the light. The portrait I'm working on in an informal setting with some other GCA artists that I'm really awed to be working along side. I'm going to try to pick up as much as I can without being intrusive.

Pumpkin Underpainting and Study

"Pumpkins, Onions, and Ladle" 11"x14", study on a 5"x7" canvas board. I originally wanted a white pumpkin with the orange one but I couldn't find one so I substituted white onions. The shadow box like background came about accidentally because I have this sitting under a previous still life arrangement and part of it hangs over. At first I was going to wait until I could break down the above set up but then I kind of liked it and decided to go with it. Que Sera.