Violet Underpainting

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my painting teacher has implemented a class syllabus which begins with 3 mandatory paintings. This is the beginning stage of one of those paintings.

The reference photo, which I'll scan and post with the finished painting, is of three apples sitting on the back of a sofa in a very sunny window. Joyce has quite a few of these photos with either apples or pears. I painted another version of these apples last year using a palette knife.

I enjoy this approach of scrubbing in the values...finding the negative spaces between the apples to help define the apples. Next step, applying the color in the right value based on the values in the underpainting.

Have a good day!



Contact Kathy At kathysweeney@gmail.com

Pears In A Sunny Window

It's been so great to get back to my class schedule after the holiday break. My teacher, Joyce Hall, has given us a wonderful curriculum for the year. It was designed to take the new student from the first class through a variety of exercises over an extended period of time. These twelve exercises are technique based and each requires us to paint two paintings, one sample from a folder of references and the second from a reference of our own, after we complete three mandatory paintings. So that would be 27 paintings in all.

The first required painting is the "onion painting" which I posted earlier. The next painting is the above Pear painting in which we're required to do a violet underpainting with a large filbert and complete with a flat starting with the dark areas and moving to the lightest. This photo makes that couch back where the pears are sitting look more purple than it actually is. I need to get my photo tent set up and use my tripod for better photos.

Next week I'll have the apple painting which is done as a violet underpainting with a large filbert and finishing dark to light with a filbert. That will complete the first three mandatory paintings and then I'll move on to the 12 exercises each to be done twice with a class reference and a personal reference.

I love having a plan for study all mapped out!

Contact Kathy At kathysweeney@gmail.com

Happy New Year

Can you believe that it's 2009? What happened to 2008? If you're like me it's a blur of memories...many good, but some not so good. Those are all the memories that contribute to the people we become, day by day, so we need to embrace them all.

I'm trying to get back to painting regularly after being very hit or miss since last Summer. Here is a larger painting for me...it's 16x20. I love the colors...especially the cool greens.

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Kathy

Contact Kathy At kathysweeney@gmail.com