Top Banana

Another little 5 x 7" pastel painting from life.  Wanted to do another of my Fiesta Ware mugs and saucers.  I chose the dark purple one and of course the complimentary fruit would be a banana.  At first I laid the banana on the saucer curving around the mug, but then thought this arrangement would be a little humorous for these not so serious still life pieces.  This piece was painted on black matte board coated with Golden's Fine Pumice Gel Medium to add some tooth to the surface to grip the pastels.

Last Summer Blossom

These little Vincas are tough...not much bright color (other than some leaves) remaining in the garden this time of year - but I found a few hot pink blossoms left to paint.

Just a nice pastel still life - fresh and full of gestural marks.  I like that about pastels...the fun of layering colors and letting one's eye visually blend the colors.

The painting was done on 7 x 5" purple/grey Colorfix paper.

Opposites Attract

When I finished this little 5 x 7" pastel painting and saw the slight left-leaning slant to the Shamrock Green Fiesta Ware mug, I got the idea for the title!  Obviously the color scheme was a complimentary one...opposites on the color wheel, but little did I know I'd create a magnetic draw between the mug and apple.

I'm having tons of fun working with pastels for awhile.  They're messy for sure but their pure pigment is a colorist's dream!

Pewter Candle Holder with Japanese Basket - Pastel Still Life Demonstration

It's been awhile since I've posted a "WIP" on my blog.  I intended to take more progress photos - but got so engrossed in the process that I only managed to take 3!  Hopefully you can see how I developed this pastel still life painting through these 3 photos.

The challenge for this piece was to paint a still life looking down on the scene rather than eye level.  More difficult with more perspective issues to contend with and relate all the objects to one another.

As I chose the elements in this scene, I wanted the little pewter candle holder to be my focal point as I enjoyed painting the lit candle in the last pastel still life so much! 

I looked at a variety of objects with the little pewter holder and ended up selecting my blue & white Japanese porcelain basket for the repetition of shapes to create a sort of rhythm.  Then, the Clementine was included for its complimentary color, softness of shape and life it interjects into the scene as an organic element.

The little sprigs of dried Nandina leaves were included to add to the Asian feeling of the scene and then a piece was laid beside the candle to tie the foreground and background together.

I love pastels for their softness and ability to incorporate drawing techniques in the painting.  I liked that so much about Degas pastel paintings.

Using a 12 x 9" sheet of Black Colorfix Pastel paper, I begin by using a soapstone pencil to lightly sketch the positions of the main elements.  Then I use black pastel to develop their shapes more, working very loosely with a soft touch.  Next I fill in and establish some of the colors.

At this point I can see that something will need to be added to bridge the elements together.

That's when I got the idea about the leaves.

I can also see here that the two background elements will need to be softened a bit and values darkened to create more depth in the scene.






Here's the middle development of the painting where I'm using all the different colors throughout the painting for overall harmony.  All the while I'm asking myself if the main focal area is getting the attention it needs and decide to soften some edges in the back and apply the pastels with greater pressure in the candle area.

I use directional strokes to lead the eye around the scene and create energy.  This photo is a tad on the warm side, but the first photo of the finale is much truer.  Sitting the elements on the mahogany box created a nice opportunity for reflections and tying elements together.

Stained Glass Candle Holder with Clementines - Revised

I wasn't completely content with the background of the pastel study last night, so decided to push the value darker and more complimentary to the main element colors.  I like it better now.

Funny thing is I had taken down my set up, so all these changes were done from my imagination - I think it's a richer look now.

Stained Glass Candle Holder with Clementines - Pastel Study

When I saw this candle holder made out of little yellow and green glass squares soldered together and en-wrapped with a black iron collar and iron chain, I knew it would be so pretty and bought it.  I was right - in a darkened room with the candle lit, little yellow and green squares glow with light. 

For this eye-level still life study I tried to darken the draped box somewhat to see the effect of the candlelight.  The addition of the clementines adds some softness and additional color to the set up.

I used a soft, cool grey-green 9 x 12" piece of Colorfix with soft pastels to do the study.

Apples and Lamp - Pastel Study

Just a quick, I mean quick, pastel study this afternoon to loosen things up.  In this study I really just focused on getting the values right.  My approach to pastels is to use amplified colors and let them key off of one another with regard to their relative values.  I'm not fussy when it comes to the medium and I rather sort of sketch, focusing on simplified shapes and masses.  My aim's not to create a photo-realistic, smoothly blended picture with pastels.  Many artists excel at this, but presently it's not how I like to use them.  I like the way the size of the pastels forces me to simplify.

Since this set up was really very simple, I wanted to "carve" the dark forms by using a black piece of  Colourfix and using lightish colors to fill in the negative shapes around the two principle elements, the dish of apples and the lamp's base.  Yes, there are some "caddywampus" angles, but no worries - it's a study and that can happen when you're working fast!

Tulsa Garden Center

It was a sunny, warm afternoon today and so a perfect day for painting in the park.  My husband and I ventured over to a nice bench in Woodward Park, he with a book and me with my painting gear.  As you know, I love to paint architecture, so this glimpse of the Tulsa Garden Center viewed across the Rose Garden made for a nice scene.

My little plein air piece was done with oils on 8 x 10" canvas.

Rose Pawn Shop Study ● SOLD

One more quick oil study tonight - this one's on 10 x 8" Canson Montval Acrylic Paper.  I've always liked this sign for some reason...last week there was a HUGE full moon over the building and fortunately I had a camera with to snap a picture.

I forced myself to work very quickly and loose, just capturing the essence of the scene in this study and trying out the composition.