Study in Red

Study in Red, 12x9, oil on linen

Here is a fun little painting that about drove me to drinking. My original attempt to paint a red painting ended up in me wiping paint off all day, so I simplified my still life set up to limit the trauma I was experiencing. I still struggled mightily, but I am calling it completed. What was so difficult for me was that the vase is red glass with a clear handle, but the vase looks clear to me too. That concentrating on the reflections, shadows and the surface I lost the actual color of the vase. Nothing I did made it appear red. Minor details. No one needs to know...

I am reading a couple of books on color and pigments so I will be writing more on this in the coming weeks. It is a most fascinating subject and I take it very seriously.