Back to the Basics

I used the brush only to lay down the ground and also to map out the contours of the apple. The rest of it was done exclusively with a palette knife. The idea was to get familiar with the kind of stokes that are possible. It was easier to control than I had thought and I liked the texture of the paint that went on. I'll probably start using the palette knife more often than not! 

Vignette in White

The second attempt at painting roses with a slightly different style as compared to the previous one. We had them in all colors. After trying the pinks and the oranges, I decided to work on the white ones where the temperature, I think, becomes imperative. I didn't think this looked like much until I moved a few steps away. Squinting and stepping back is almost becoming second nature now and I know why!

And I am off for a dose of vacation! I have been planning on doing a whole travelogue of paintings. I am not carrying paints this time but am sure I will be back with oodles of ideas! Well.. what they say is true, all roads lead to Rome!! :)

Daniel J. Keys

Rosy endeavors

A day dedicated to roses. The paint consistency, how much and the way the it should go onto the canvas and of course the shape, color, value and temperature; a whole slew of things to think about before putting down every stroke. This had to be the brightest pink rose I have seen, the color was very difficult to match. And building up from a block-in approach completely threw me off track, but had to try the method of the masters! 

Plum peaches

And that's day one with Daniel Keys at the Sadie Valeri Atelier. Getting the still life fix! Daniel is precise in his suggestions & critique. His stark colors & crisp brushwork make his paintings exquisite! Looking forward to working on a large still life painting in the next few days. Hopefully a complex composition. That would be fun, and his forte of course!

By the pitcher

From the Phil Starke program; the quintessential still life setup. Took a while to bring it to a level of finish. I reached for some much loved comfort food as soon as I was done! 

  

 

Ready to Bake

White is always a tricky subject. This is a quick sketch done on canvas paper in about 45 min, I think.  I wish the background had been a brighter color. Not a fan of browns for backgrounds. It was fun playing with the blue engravings. A strong highlight would have made them look more 'ceramic'. As of now they look like they are ready to be baked!

 

      

Kids & Coffee

This painting was done while at Carol Marine's Workshop at San Francisco (a brief description is at an earlier post - here). I shot the reference photo during our city wandering venture on the previous day. The small shoes next to the mug, cropped out of a bigger picture, was too cute to miss. I was happy with the way the shoes turned out. During the critique, Carol started by saying that she loved them (nothing much else could have made me that ecstatic!) before providing some helpful tips on how to tackle ellipses. I think the shoes by themselves make an interesting enough subject - and I might paint them again.
I enjoy seeing paintings in progress and started to take progress photos for later reference; and that turned out to be perfect for Leslie Saeta's Challenge. I plan on including demo photos in some of the future posts as well.

(click on the pictures to view them bigger).