Top Banana

Another little 5 x 7" pastel painting from life.  Wanted to do another of my Fiesta Ware mugs and saucers.  I chose the dark purple one and of course the complimentary fruit would be a banana.  At first I laid the banana on the saucer curving around the mug, but then thought this arrangement would be a little humorous for these not so serious still life pieces.  This piece was painted on black matte board coated with Golden's Fine Pumice Gel Medium to add some tooth to the surface to grip the pastels.

Last Summer Blossom

These little Vincas are tough...not much bright color (other than some leaves) remaining in the garden this time of year - but I found a few hot pink blossoms left to paint.

Just a nice pastel still life - fresh and full of gestural marks.  I like that about pastels...the fun of layering colors and letting one's eye visually blend the colors.

The painting was done on 7 x 5" purple/grey Colorfix paper.

Opposites Attract

When I finished this little 5 x 7" pastel painting and saw the slight left-leaning slant to the Shamrock Green Fiesta Ware mug, I got the idea for the title!  Obviously the color scheme was a complimentary one...opposites on the color wheel, but little did I know I'd create a magnetic draw between the mug and apple.

I'm having tons of fun working with pastels for awhile.  They're messy for sure but their pure pigment is a colorist's dream!

Pewter Candle Holder with Japanese Basket - Pastel Still Life Demonstration

It's been awhile since I've posted a "WIP" on my blog.  I intended to take more progress photos - but got so engrossed in the process that I only managed to take 3!  Hopefully you can see how I developed this pastel still life painting through these 3 photos.

The challenge for this piece was to paint a still life looking down on the scene rather than eye level.  More difficult with more perspective issues to contend with and relate all the objects to one another.

As I chose the elements in this scene, I wanted the little pewter candle holder to be my focal point as I enjoyed painting the lit candle in the last pastel still life so much! 

I looked at a variety of objects with the little pewter holder and ended up selecting my blue & white Japanese porcelain basket for the repetition of shapes to create a sort of rhythm.  Then, the Clementine was included for its complimentary color, softness of shape and life it interjects into the scene as an organic element.

The little sprigs of dried Nandina leaves were included to add to the Asian feeling of the scene and then a piece was laid beside the candle to tie the foreground and background together.

I love pastels for their softness and ability to incorporate drawing techniques in the painting.  I liked that so much about Degas pastel paintings.

Using a 12 x 9" sheet of Black Colorfix Pastel paper, I begin by using a soapstone pencil to lightly sketch the positions of the main elements.  Then I use black pastel to develop their shapes more, working very loosely with a soft touch.  Next I fill in and establish some of the colors.

At this point I can see that something will need to be added to bridge the elements together.

That's when I got the idea about the leaves.

I can also see here that the two background elements will need to be softened a bit and values darkened to create more depth in the scene.






Here's the middle development of the painting where I'm using all the different colors throughout the painting for overall harmony.  All the while I'm asking myself if the main focal area is getting the attention it needs and decide to soften some edges in the back and apply the pastels with greater pressure in the candle area.

I use directional strokes to lead the eye around the scene and create energy.  This photo is a tad on the warm side, but the first photo of the finale is much truer.  Sitting the elements on the mahogany box created a nice opportunity for reflections and tying elements together.

Stained Glass Candle Holder with Clementines - Revised

I wasn't completely content with the background of the pastel study last night, so decided to push the value darker and more complimentary to the main element colors.  I like it better now.

Funny thing is I had taken down my set up, so all these changes were done from my imagination - I think it's a richer look now.

Stained Glass Candle Holder with Clementines - Pastel Study

When I saw this candle holder made out of little yellow and green glass squares soldered together and en-wrapped with a black iron collar and iron chain, I knew it would be so pretty and bought it.  I was right - in a darkened room with the candle lit, little yellow and green squares glow with light. 

For this eye-level still life study I tried to darken the draped box somewhat to see the effect of the candlelight.  The addition of the clementines adds some softness and additional color to the set up.

I used a soft, cool grey-green 9 x 12" piece of Colorfix with soft pastels to do the study.

Across from Water Street Art Gallery - Plein Air Sketch

It was my day to work at the gallery in Sapulpa, so I decided to set up the easel in front of the gallery.  There were a lot of details in this view with various building planes, quickly changing light direction and lots of cars (not my strong suit) in the parking lot across the way.  But I wasn't enchanted with the view today up or down the street, so I just decided to paint what I saw across the way.  And then when the sun moved behind the building and I found myself in the shade, it got a little too chilly to stay out there much longer!

So, here's what I've learned from this experience: keep it simple!  And, it's hard to work so small en plein air when there's a lot of details!  This is oil on 8 x 10" stretched canvas.  Might go up to 9 x 12 next time.