I almost gave up on this a few times . . . there was so much information
with orange reflections bouncing all over the plate, cast shadows, and
"wrinkles" of light and dark in the plate itself, I had to simplify a bit. The
fork had a very complex reflection as well as shadow and it got the best
of me—had to leave it out. My first version was very sedate and boring.
When I worked at it again, my intention was to break the boundaries of
the objects and the only way to do that was take the setup down and eat
the peaches. When I'm looking at something, I become a slave to the literal.
So I used the first version as a roadmap and painted over it focusing my
attention on the painting surface rather than what I was painting. It seems
to be the only way to go beyond my "little self" as Suzanne Stewart says.
Before I paint a still-life I usually spend a little time looking at Stanley Bielen.
The painting I've linked here is tiny—8.5 x 7 but in its simplicity, it feels
monumental. He's all about the paint.
12 comments:
I like what you wrote about achieving this. Great job.
I love Stanley's paintings and the orange you showed us is perfect in its simplicity. Thanks.
Great piece! You got the reflections. and soft edges. so glad you didn't give up!
I always enjoy reading about your process with each painting. This is really nice and I'm glad that you struggled through.
Stanley Bielen is a favorite of mine and his paintings are included in my inspiration folder. I love the simplicity of his paintings. Just amazing!
This is a gorgeous piece, love the very bold red ...glad you went through the difficulties !
In a way it's comforting to know that we all struggle! This is a lovely, lovely piece!!!
I love the warm and cool palette, very effective. And as always Lorraine, I love your loose style. I know all about the slave to the literal. :-) Your idea for getting around it is great. Thanks for the links, both artists were new to me.
Eye candy in the true sense of the word. I like your statement that you needed to eat the peaches or get rid of what you are looking at so it is not too litera. A winner.
Beautifully painted, Lorraine!! Wonderful colors and love your previous "Apples"...very nice piece, as well....
You did it again! Really beautiful! I love all that texture and color. And I love reading your posts...you are a writer as well as an artist!
Lorraine, you always give me much to think about. I was so intrigued with the idea of losing the literal by focusing on the surface and the paint. This sums up for me what I've been trying to do for so long. Thank you once again for pulling me through another door of thought!
You beautifully describe what I, too, often attempt to do. And I think you succeeded at doing it very well in your painting. (Hope the peaches were tasty!)
I love this - thought it was funny that you had to eat the peaches to get them more painterly. You did a great job. I find myself being way too literal also and really struggle with trying to loosen up instead of drawing everything in perfectly.
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