Petunias Revisited

Petunias Revisited

6" x 6" x 1.5" 

Oil on Wood Cradled Panel

$90.00

This is the last stage before I put the finishing touches.  Photographing it and even posting it here before really calling it finished helps me to see the areas that need tweaking and right now, although I really like the flower in the lower right corner I see that the interior of the flower is too vibrant and should be slightly less saturated...
This is from a series of photographs I took last year and I painted one other of this series with a higher view point.  I thought it was worth revisiting.  From the 3 foot square painting of the last post to the diminutive 6" square, it wasn't quite the adjustment I thought it might take.  The two and a half hours breezed by compared to the time it took to complete the last one.

Nearing Completion

                                      Pears in Silver Bowl on blue Gingham
                                        36" square on stretched canvas

Finished!....for now.  I'm at that super critical stage and can't seem to turn it off.  But if I had to walk away from it now, I think it's finished......

nearing completion

Trying not to get too attached to this one but I do love the ochre and blue color theme.  But it was commissioned so I won't have it too much longer.  I feel the need to add another twiggy branch coming out of the vase to fill in that upper left corner.  The pear on the right needs to be shaped and a little softening of the edges on the pear on the left.  And then the final punches of hilights on the silver bowl.  I love that part.

Shaping Up

When working at this size (36" square) and seeing it start to evolve, it's a real test of patience in wanting to see it come together faster.  But, brushes have to be cleaned, the palette needs to be scraped down and re-oganized.  In the meantime, dozens of little bits of information jump out at you that you didn't see before.  But that's what it's like in the home stretch.  Taking that time to let it sink in and plan your next move is important.  I'll probably do a little bit later today but otherwise will have to wait until tomorrow when I start the day a little more refreshed. (It's in the 90's outside!)

Taking Shape

      

                           

 
















I'm back to the large formats that I enjoy doing this week.  The progression here is from the first sketch to the acrylic blocking in.  I had contemplated painting the whole canvas in acrylic but can't seem to get the depth and richness that oils give me.  So I switched and it's heading in the right direction.  I'm establishing the lights and darks but now I'm itching to get back to it to correct the contrasts.  All this in one day so I mustn't rush it and remember to step back a little more often.  Tomorrow I'll work on the interior of the bowl and the pears. The last image is a photograph that I tweaked in photoshop so the upper third of the image is painterly over the photograph.