Love your blog. Beautiful roses.
Posted by Florence Gaffney · via pnewellart.com · 92 months ago
Blog
Wet white roses painting on the easel
The Anatomy of a Painting
The Anatomy of a Painting
The process of painting a still life with fresh flowers
(Just in case you were wondering..)
(Just in case you were wondering..)
Each painting starts with an idea or vision of the completed work - usually when I see some striking flowers or scene. This time it hit me in Kroger where there were warm white roses with creamy yellow centers on sale. Since I like contrast, the roses fit the bill.
The roses were to be the stars of the composition, so I chose a clear glass vase as the supporting cast, and my favorite dark warm-toned fabric to give them high contrast. A square of 12" x 12" linen became the substrate because the format kept the focus on the roses. The linen was taped to a panel with blue tape. I positioned my light on my set-up to rake across the forms creating clear light and shadow patterns.
I chose to crop the vase to further emphasize the flowers. I arranged the flowers to overlap slightly creating larger interesting shapes and edges, knowing the flowers will open and change shape in the vase, and most of the leaves will wither and curl while I paint.
I begin with a quick sketch to position the elements of the design with thin oil. At this stage I work hard to be certain that the composition will work and everything is placed correctly to fulfill my initial idea. If I need to correct a shape at this stage it's very simple to wipe off the thin paint and start over.
The roses were to be the stars of the composition, so I chose a clear glass vase as the supporting cast, and my favorite dark warm-toned fabric to give them high contrast. A square of 12" x 12" linen became the substrate because the format kept the focus on the roses. The linen was taped to a panel with blue tape. I positioned my light on my set-up to rake across the forms creating clear light and shadow patterns.
I chose to crop the vase to further emphasize the flowers. I arranged the flowers to overlap slightly creating larger interesting shapes and edges, knowing the flowers will open and change shape in the vase, and most of the leaves will wither and curl while I paint.
I begin with a quick sketch to position the elements of the design with thin oil. At this stage I work hard to be certain that the composition will work and everything is placed correctly to fulfill my initial idea. If I need to correct a shape at this stage it's very simple to wipe off the thin paint and start over.
I concentrate on noting where the lightest lights are and the darkest darks. For the next stage I add large simplified shapes of the right value (light or dark) with the right temperature (warm or cool) of color in the right place. It sounds easy, but this stage is the most difficult. It takes concentrated observation and comparison of the live still life with the developing painting to add the correct elements. This is the stage where many painters get "into the weeds" if they don't have a clear vision of the finished work. It's a stage where an artist must push through the seemingly "ugly duckling stage" to get to the finish. Smaller shapes are added on top of larger shapes until the painting is nearly finished.
I pay special attention to soft and hard edges where shapes meet, and adjust them to direct the eye through the painting. It's very similar to what a conductor does with an orchestra - modulating the loud and soft passages of the music to make the piece flow. When I think the painting is finished I let it "marinate" for a bit allowing me to see passages that need adjusting. Then I'll sign it and try to think of a title.
I pay special attention to soft and hard edges where shapes meet, and adjust them to direct the eye through the painting. It's very similar to what a conductor does with an orchestra - modulating the loud and soft passages of the music to make the piece flow. When I think the painting is finished I let it "marinate" for a bit allowing me to see passages that need adjusting. Then I'll sign it and try to think of a title.
The tape will be removed when the painting is dry to the touch revealing a crisp white edge. When the painting is very dry it will be glued with archival glue to a rigid panel, varnished to protect it and saturate the color, professionally photographed and framed.
I'll add the finished signed, titled and framed work to this blog in several weeks.
Want to learn more? Join me for a class or upcoming workshop.
