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| Granny Smith Trio, 8x16, oil on linen panel |
Friday was such a beautiful day that when I decided to paint a still life. We have a second story porch that would allow me to have the apples in the sun yet I would be sheltered from the sun and wind. Having let the Birger Sandzen show settle in my psyche, I thought I would see what I could do with thick paint. I also tried not to over mix on the palette and let the eye mix on the canvas. In the spirit of the 15" studies I have been doing I wanted to paint fast knowing the sun would be moving faster. I set up 5 apples thinking 3 would not be enough to fit this canvas, but I ended up with just the three after all. You need to actually see the set up I painted from as the reflected light was really intense and the apples read a b it weird until you see the photo of the apples.
Note the crow on the wire and the one below in our garden. Crows kept me company the whole time I was outdoors, some even swooping down close over my head, landing right above me on the gutter. I am not sure what had them agitated but I bet at the height there were 20 crows in and around our yard cawing up a storm.
It was great to be outside in late November, in shirt sleeves, painting! It has been too long. I did enjoy the thick paint and the confidence you must have to paint that directly.
2 comments:
his is a fun study. With the light glare you mentioned, the fruit on the ledge looks less real than the fruit in your study, all bitten or mangled. I like the way you showed the great sheen and kept the contour of the apple's sphere, but still brought out the weird shadow play that makes them look half-eaten. I think you had the crows fooled, too; they wanted your apples! The swirls of color in the shadows you created are fun and bring a lot of movement to the painting. Did you pick the dark greenish background for contrast/highlight of your subjects or is that what you saw over the edge?
Crows are hilarious to watch, like plump little ladies wrapped in scarves waddling across the marketplace. They are a sign of a friendly home, which I am sure yours is.
Also I note the familiar alley in the background of your photo - the sunplay is great from this perspective, too.
thanks for sharing. I'd take a bite of these funky apples.
I picked the dark greenish color both for the color of the lawn that I could just see over the top of the rail and just for contrast. I thought it an overall good value. I love your thoughtful comments. Thanks!
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