"Sahara Roses in the Golden Bowl" 12 x 16 oil on panel
After successfully procrastinating for three days, I ran out of excuses not to begin my first alla prima painting. To be sure, since Elizabeth Robbins' workshop, there were a number of puzzle pieces to assemble before touchiing brush to canvas: I had reread my notes, had purchased a fan brush and several colours which were not in my palette, and had oil-primed a canvas, in this case a birch panel. As I wrote several weeks ago, the cupboards were also plundered for interesting vases and fabrics and I had staged some still life tableaux.
Even with all that preparation, it took forever just to lay out the palette; I had drawn the line at any paint containing heavy metals (cadmiums and cobalts) so substitutes had to be found or mixed. And then there was the mathematical terror which every artist knows: one blank canvas plus one dry brush equals nothing.
Four hours later, I had a rough but LOOSE still life. The time between start and finish was fraught with regret: Why on earth had I chosen a reflective gold bowl? And why compound the challenge by then placing said bowl on a figured tapestry? Am I delusional?
Anyway, I soldiered through and barely took a breath for the next four hours. It's still highly reflective so the background will be quieter but I want to detail the roses a bit more. Most importantly, the leaves definitely need work; I was loath to spend the prince's ransom that viridian demands but my creative mixing produced too sharp a green. I also moved the position of the leaves several times so that needs to be sorted out. That said, I'm satisfied with the lack of over-working as well as the reflection and the overall feel.
Now it's back to the cupboards in search of more fodder! Stay tuned.
Even with all that preparation, it took forever just to lay out the palette; I had drawn the line at any paint containing heavy metals (cadmiums and cobalts) so substitutes had to be found or mixed. And then there was the mathematical terror which every artist knows: one blank canvas plus one dry brush equals nothing.
Four hours later, I had a rough but LOOSE still life. The time between start and finish was fraught with regret: Why on earth had I chosen a reflective gold bowl? And why compound the challenge by then placing said bowl on a figured tapestry? Am I delusional?
Anyway, I soldiered through and barely took a breath for the next four hours. It's still highly reflective so the background will be quieter but I want to detail the roses a bit more. Most importantly, the leaves definitely need work; I was loath to spend the prince's ransom that viridian demands but my creative mixing produced too sharp a green. I also moved the position of the leaves several times so that needs to be sorted out. That said, I'm satisfied with the lack of over-working as well as the reflection and the overall feel.
Now it's back to the cupboards in search of more fodder! Stay tuned.
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